By Leila Merrill
PHOENIX — The City of Phoenix agreed Wednesday to pay a family up to $3 million in response to a wrongful death claim over a 2019 crash that involved a fire department apparatus, ABC 15 reported.
The city council voted unanimously in favor of the payment.
Officials said that the engine had its lights and siren on as it was en route for a call when a pickup turned in front of it. A 2020 report showed that apparatus was speeding at the time – at least 20 mph over the limit. The Phoenix Fire Department has a policy that engines cannot been driven at more than 10 mph over the limit, even with a siren and lights on.
The crash killed 20-year-old Kenneth “Chase” Collins; his girlfriend, 19-year-old Dariana Serrano; and their 3-month-old son, also named Kenneth.
Serrano’s mother, Mercy Arangure, sued the city, seeking $25 million, alleging wrongful death and negligence. That included negligence in training and supervision.
Collins had marijuana in his system, an autopsy showed, but it is not known whether he was driving while impaired at the time of the crash.