Facts

On the evening of Oct. 31, 2022, 61-year-old Denzil Broadhurst was killed after a Sacramento police officer made an unsafe U-turn in front of him in the area of May Street and Bell Avenue. The patrol car crashed into Broadhurst as he was riding his motorcycle. The officer driving the patrol car, Benjamin Jillson, did not have his emergency lights or sirens activated at the time. Officer Jillson was subsequently charged with vehicular manslaughter.

The tragic circumstances of this case were widely covered in the news. Shortly after, and in response to, the crash, the Sacramento Police Department announced that it would be initiating a department-wide "traffic safety stay" to review data, best practices and policies related to officer driving. The SPD PIO even released a 9-minute-long narrated video including audio and video from the evening of the crash to inform the public about the dangers of officer-involved crashes.

Plaintiffs were the decedent's adult daughter and wife.

Result

The case settled for $2 million.