An Illinois man was taken into custody on April 4 after reaching speeds of 100 mph while being chased by police. The man admits that he was behind the wheel without a valid driver’s license and ignored posted speed limits, but he says that he does not regret his actions as they likely saved the life of his daughter. The high-speed chase ended at the Touchette Regional Hospital where the 1-year-old girl was treated and released after choking on a penny.
Media outlets picked up the story after learning that the man was bonded out of a St. Clair County detention facility by a nurse from the hospital that treated his daughter. The girl’s mother learned this when she visited the jail to see the man. She told reporters that a group of nurses had chipped in to raise the money needed to get the man released.
According to media reports, the man was being pursued by a number of police vehicles from various law enforcement agencies when he arrived at the hospital’s emergency room. The girl’s mother claims that she made it quite clear to officers why the man had ignored traffic laws, but she says that he was taken into custody and charged anyway.
When presented with facts like these, attorneys with experience fighting traffic tickets would likely mount a necessity defense. This argument is made when an individual commits criminal acts in an emergency situation to prevent an even greater harm. This defense could be successful when the individual concerned had no other choice but to break the law and was not the cause of the greater harm.
Source: Fox 35 Orlando, “Nurses pay bond for dad who sped to hospital to save choking 1-year-old daughter”, Staff report, April 5, 2019