Emotions Run High As Officer Involved Car Wrecks Spike
Huntsville, AL - Over the past few weeks, we've seen several wrecks involving Huntsville Police Officers. Three of them have been serious, and the most recent killed a mother of three, who was expecting her fourth child.
While no one questions that police officers risk their lives to keep us safe, many in the community are now wondering why they are involved in so many auto accidents.
"(In) the last two months, we've had 25 accidents" admits Huntsville Police spokesman Harry Hobbs. "But 14 of those accidents were just little fender benders, and out of those 25 only 11 were at fault to the police officer that maybe could have been avoided."
For many people, those 11 where and officer was at fault is 11 too many. But Hobbs insists when you factor in the fact that many patrol officers are in their cars for hours at a time without a wreck, the numbers aren't as bad as they seem.
Unfortunately, accidents do happen. One such accident that happened Friday night proved deadly.
William Frazier Found Guilty
80 year old William Frazier - the man at the center of an $8 million lawsuit against the Huntsville Police Department - has been found guilty of several traffic offenses.
After multiple delays, Frazier finally appeared in Municipal Court on Monday, flanked by several family members and supporters. In the end, a judge found him guilty on three charges - fleeing and eluding police, driving without a license, and failure to yield right of way. The charges stem from a February 1st incident where Frazier led police on a low speed chase, with several close calls with other cars.
Frazier claims when that chase ended, he was injured by police officers. In April, the city released that video. Frazier is seen running a red light, hitting a curb and swerving several times. The video shows Frazier being torn from the car, but there is no visible evidence of any physical attacks from officers.
His lawsuit is still pending.