DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The family of a Des Moines police officer killed in a 2016 wrong-way crash is blaming the design of an interstate interchange in a new lawsuit.
The Des Moines Register reports that the family of Officer Susan Farrell is suing the cities of Waukee and West Des Moines, as well as several contractors.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Polk County District Court, says the cities and contractors were negligent in opening the Interstate 80 interchange west of Des Moines before basic safety features were finished and “despite construction not yet being complete.”
The March 2016 crash killed Farrell and Officer Carlos Puente-Morales, as well as a prisoner, Tosha Hyatt. The wrong-way driver, 25-year-old Benjamin Beary, also died. Investigators say Beary was drunk and had been traveling more than 100 mph when he hit the officers’ car.
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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com
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