Last October, a police car responding to a call clipped another vehicle, spun out of control, and plowed into a group of people on the sidewalk.
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One year later, Angelica Diaz is fighting feelings of guilt while struggling to walk again. It is all because of a crash that some might describe as an accident, but what the family calls an act of negligence by the NYPD that left Diaz in a wheelchair, and claimed her mother's life.
"It's horrible - my mom is gone," Angelica said.
Milagros Bonet was walking to the supermarket with her five-year-old granddaughter and Diaz when they were hit by an NYPD cruiser that jumped the curb at Hoe and Westchester Avenues. In all, 10 people including the two officers were injured.
Police say the officers were pursuing someone attempting to steal a car. The wreckage included Bonet's walker and the shopping cart the girl was riding in. The 65-year-old spent months in the ICU and showed signs of recovery, but died in May.
The Medical Examiner has yet to declare an official cause of death, but the family says they have no doubt the crash was the main contributing factor.
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The NYPD says it can't comment on pending litigation - a lawsuit the family hopes will bring some measure of justice.
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