Parents sue city of Indiana over fatal accident in police pursuit

MISHAWAKA, Indiana (AP) — The parents of a northern Indiana teenager who died with her boyfriend when a vehicle being pursued by police crashed into their car in 2020 are suing the city of Mishawaka.

The lawsuit, filed by Elizabeth Johnson-Neher’s parents, alleges that the December 2020 police pursuit was dangerous from the start and that Mishawaka police officers were not adequately trained on proper procedures for such pursuits, the South Bend reported tribunes.

Johnson-Neher was 18 when she and boyfriend Clayton McClish, 19, died after his car was struck at an intersection in Mishawaka, east of South Bend, by a vehicle fleeing police.

McClish’s car was hit by a vehicle allegedly being driven by 23-year-old Jesse Lottie, whom officers were pursuing for allegedly breaking into a home.

Lottie was charged with defying law enforcement and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. But court and prison records show he was never arrested and has a warrant out for his arrest.

Johnson-Neher’s parents filed their lawsuit in St. Joseph County last week. She is seeking damages, including for suffering and mental anguish resulting from her daughter’s death, WBND-TV reported

A message asking for comment was left by The Associated Press on Friday for a law firm representing the city of Mishawaka.