A Holladay woman injured during a police chase last week died Tuesday at St. Mark's Hospital.
But it's unclear whether her death was the direct result of injuries she suffered during the accident.Betty W. Eubank, 67, was treated for her injuries at University Hospital following the accident on April 12. She was hospitalized for six days and then discharged on April 18. But she apparently collapsed at her home Tuesday and was taken to St. Mark's Hospital, a spokesman said. She died later that day.
"If it's determined she died as a result of the accident, those facts would be reviewed with the county attorney's office to determine if charges or additional charges would be filed," said Salt Lake Police Lt. Marty Vuyk.
Meanwhile, a Police Department pursuit review board was to convene Thursday to determine whether the officer was acting within the department's new policy when he initiated the action that led to the crash.
Officer Lon Halterman was checking for speeders with a radar gun at 1800 S. 700 East on April 12 when he clocked a vehicle driving 58 mph. He began to chase the car and turned on his overhead lights as he turned onto Bryan Avenue, according to his police report.
The suspect appeared to increase his speed,and the officer then activated his siren. He said he was still too far away from the vehicle to see the license plate number.
But as the suspect approached 700 East and 1700 South, Halterman said he noticed the traffic light was red at the intersection. "Knowing that 700 East traffic is usually continuous, I slowed down somewhat in preparation to terminate the pursuit. I still had my lights and sirens on in hopes to warn any vehicles in the area," he said.
Halterman said the suspect in the vehicle braked briefly, then continued through the red light, colliding with a southbound vehicle driven by Charles Eubank, 68. Betty W. Eubank was a passenger.
According to a police report, immediately after the collision, Richard M. Anderson yelled at Halterman as he approached Anderson's vehicle, "I shouldn't have done that, but I knew if I stopped I would go to jail."
Several cans of beer were found inside Anderson's vehicle, one of them was open, the report stated. Anderson, 31, of the Capitol Hill area, was also arrested on a warrant for possession of drug paraphernalia.
Vuyk said the actual pursuit, from the moment Halterman activated his siren to the moment of the collision, lasted only about three blocks.
Anderson was taken to LDS Hospital, where he remained in fair condition Thursday. Charles Eubank was taken to University Hospital and was discharged on April 20.
The city's high-speed pursuit policy was altered last May after James H. Pratt, 36, of Salt Lake City, was killed while an officer was chasing another man who was driving a vehicle with an expired registration.
The department's new policy, adopted in February, contains eight pages of instructions and restrictions that officers must follow to determine whether they should chase after someone who refuses police orders to stop.
The new policy requires officers to justify each pursuit. Every chase is reviewed by a pursuit review board, similar to the shooting review board that investigates officers who fire their guns.
- Staff writer Douglas D. Palmer also contributed to this story.