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Innocent bystander injured in police chase struggling months later, can't get help

1 year 6 months 3 weeks ago Friday, April 28 2023 Apr 28, 2023 April 28, 2023 7:15 PM April 28, 2023 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE - An innocent bystander found herself caught in the middle of a police chase. The chase ended when the person that police were in pursuit of crashed into her at high speed. For months she's been in pain, struggling with PTSD, and so far, can't get help.

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"I feel like I'm at the bottom of the barrel, some days I want to give up," Adrianne Washington said.

It's been seven months since Washington was involved in that car crash that totaled her car and has kept her out of work. Since, she's been living in pain and says it's tough for her to do anything that involves driving somewhere.

"I want to go back to work. I want to go back to my normal life," she said.

Right now, that's not an option. Washington wears a brace on her left leg and another around her abdomen to support her spine. Even standing is painful and she can only do so for a few minutes at a time. She says that what happened to her isn't fair.

On Sept. 19, 2022, police were in pursuit of a car driven by 25-year-old Derian Bailey, a convicted killer out on bond. The crash happened at Acadian Thruway and Winbourne Avenue in a school zone. A passenger in Bailey's car died at the scene. Washington was hurled to the back seat of her vehicle and her boyfriend to the trunk. Neither were restrained. The car they were driving in was totaled.

She says it was the freakiest thing she's experienced in her life. Washington is still struggling after a C5 fracture in her neck, compression fractures on her spine, ACL and MCL tears in her left leg, and a broken right ankle. Her boyfriend broke his neck and went to the hospital in critical condition. He stayed on a ventilator for about a week.

"I went from working 74 hours a week to not working at all," Washington said.

For the past decade, Washington has worked as a private caretaker. Now instead of caring for others people are having to care for her. She has had no income since the crash and can't take disability since she worked for a private company. The bills are starting to add up, and so far she can't find anyone to help her with what happened.

"No help at all," she said.

Several lawyers have opted not to take the case since the driver who hit her was not insured. Washington did not have uninsured motorist coverage. Police pursuits strike a nerve with her. She's been watching what's happening to others and says she's blessed because she survived when others haven't. Washington doesn't think she should have to be in this position.

"The only thing I want to do is be a parent and go back to work," she said.

People have a right to make a claim through the city-parish, or whichever parish the incident occurred in. That claim will be investigated to determine if there is any liability found on the parish and the law enforcement entity involved.

As Washington waits to have surgery, she hopes she can find the help she's looking for. Earlier this month, WBRZ reported on a legislative proposal to create a task force that would examine police pursuits and their outcomes. It heads to committee on Monday at the state house of representatives.

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