Family awarded nearly $80M after CPD chase led to 2020 crash that killed 10-year-old girl

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A jury awarded nearly $80 million to the family of a girl killed in a crash involving a car speeding away from Chicago police.

The verdict was reached Wednesday evening in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Da'Karia Spicer's family.

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It was September 2020 when a car speeding away from Chicago police slammed into the car the 10-year-old was in.

Her little brother and the driver of a third vehicle were seriously hurt.

The family was awarded $79.85 million.

Chicago police said officers were attempting to pull a black sedan over in the 8000-block of South Halsted Street for traffic violations when it fled west on 80th Street Sept. 2, 2020.

The sedan first struck a gray car driven by a 57-year-old woman driving north on Halsted, then struck a tan sedan that was pulled over on the westbound side of the street. A 43-year-old man, 10-year-old girl and 5-year-old boy were in the tan sedan.

Spicer was taken to Comer Children's Hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said. The 5-year-old boy, her brother, was taken to Comer Children's Hospital, where he was in critical condition, and the 43-year-old man was taken to University of Chicago Hospital for observation.

Darnesha Johnson said her fiancé, Kevin Amir Spicer, was driving the children to Foster Park Elementary School to pick up Da'Karia's laptop for remote learning. He called her after the crash.

"He was hysterical," she said. "We've been together for almost 15 years, and I've never heard him like that. He was saying, 'Mama's not responding.'"

"Mama" was Da'Karia's nickname.

She said her daughter likely died instantly.

"I will never be OK. I will never be OK after today. They took my firstborn child," she said.