PIT Maneuvers Make for Dramatic Videos and Get People Killed

Police officers don’t want suspects to get away, but at what point do the dangers of a vehicle chase outweigh the benefits? The “precision immobilization technique” (PIT) is anything but precise. It involves a police vehicle hitting the other vehicle’s rear quarter, sending it spinning or rolling out of control and potentially striking anything in its path. If you’re injured by a police officer who acts negligently while performing their duties, you may be entitled to compensation.

PIT, recently re-branded after bad publicity as “tactical vehicle intervention” (TVI), has gotten many people killed and injured. That can include those in the car leading the chase, police officers, and bystanders. This technique is especially hazardous when vehicles travel high speed through congested areas. Police in Kentucky use PIT.

Most of the time, PIT maneuvers are used without fatalities. They have enabled officers to detain dangerous suspects. But is this benefit worth the risks?

PIT Maneuvers Create Situations Where People are Killed

The video at the start of this San Francisco Examiner article on PIT demonstrates what can happen when the technique is used on a pickup truck traveling about 100 miles an hour. The truck driver was killed. Amazingly, the police officer involved was only injured after his cruiser was propelled about 15 feet into the air.

The article recounts how four people were killed after PIT was used. None of them were driving the fleeing vehicle:

• In upstate New York, an SUV flipped over an interstate median, ejecting an 11-year-old passenger. The vehicle landed on her and killed her
• A motorcyclist was struck and hurtled off an eastern Iowa road, throwing the 31-year-old rider into a cornfield
• A pickup spun off a northern Georgia road into an ATV. It hit the rider so strongly that it knocked him out of one of his sneakers
• A Georgia grandmother in her front yard was struck and killed by a vehicle struck by police

In April, Florida police pursued a stolen SUV with passengers inside, reports WKYT. A state trooper performed a PIT maneuver, which caused the vehicle to roll over and strike a cement pole. All four teens inside (14 and 16 years old) were killed.

The Death Toll Climbs

The Examiner estimates that since 2017, at least 87 people were killed after police officers rammed vehicles they chased, often at high speeds. Nearly half (37), including seven children, weren’t driving the target vehicle. They were passengers or bystanders.

Deaths caused by these incidents are on the rise. The newspaper states ten people were killed in the first six months of 2024. That’s the most in any six-month period studied by the Examiner.

Most major police departments limit the maneuver to situations where vehicles travel no faster than 45 mph, while others have few restrictions on PIT use.  Court records, police reports, and news articles show that of the 37 killed, 20 were killed in chases of at least 90 mph, and six were killed when vehicles were going at least 120.

Only one in eight of the total deaths involved a pursuit that started due to a suspected violent crime. Most fatalities were caused after officers performed PIT maneuvers during chases after alleged low-level or nonviolent crimes.

How Seriously Should Police Department Take PIT Maneuvers?

There are no uniform PIT use standards. Some police departments consider PIT the use of deadly force, especially at high speeds, like firing a gun. That results in stricter rules for its use and follow-up investigations to determine whether officers acted appropriately. Other departments consider it a routine tactic that requires little training.

A personal injury case based on negligence could involve a situation where a department doesn’t take PIT seriously, there are inadequate guidelines, and someone is injured or killed by a poorly trained officer. A claim could also be based on the fact the situation didn’t justify the use of such a potentially deadly technique, especially if passengers or bystanders could be injured.

Speak To a Louisville Car Accident Attorney Near You

Satterley & Kelley, PLLC lawyers are your boots on the ground if you or a family member are injured or killed in a Kentucky police chase. Call Satterley & Kelley PLLC to speak with a skilled personal injury attorney at our Louisville office toll-free at 855-385-9532 or complete our online contact form today.