HOUSTON – Attorneys George K. Farah and Nathan E. Inurria of the law firm Guera & Farah, PLLC in Houston have filed a lawsuit on behalf of the family of a man who perished last year from injuries sustained in a police chase.
Court documents filed on May 10 in the Harris County 165th District Court pin the death of Genovevo Lugo Cruz, Jr. on B&C Transmission, LLC and the City of South Houston.
The original petition explains that Cruz was attempting to cross the intersection of Queens Road and Perez Road in Pasadena on Feb. 28, 2017 when Jonathan Michael Valdez ran a red light and struck the left front driver’s side of Cruz’s truck.
Valdez operated a white 2007 Chevrolet Silverado C1500 he purportedly stole from defendant B&C’s premises. The Silverado’s owner discovered the vehicle was moving away from the business on his GPS device and subsequently called South Houston police, which dispatched an officer to investigate.
The officer located Valdez, who is not a party in the case, at an apartment complex. According to the complaint, Valdez fled shortly after a verbal exchange with the officer in pursuit.
The chase reportedly went through a residential neighborhood and a school zone before ending with the collision between the suspect and Cruz.
Cruz’s family says he suffered a chest injury and multiple fractures, to which he succumbed at Bayshore Medical Center.
B&C is accused of failing to prevent Valdez from driving away with the Silverado while South Houston is faulted for the officer’s supposed actions during the chase.
Consequently, Cruz’s widow and children seek unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
Harris County 165th District Court Case No. 2018-31713