Officer whose car struck young mom says she couldn’t avoid hitting her
By Tania E. Lopez
The Indianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS — An IMPD officer has been placed on administrative duty while department officials investigate a New Year’s Eve accident that killed a pedestrian crossing Keystone Avenue.
Officer Erin Ringham, who has worked for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department about a year, was on her way to assist another officer with a burglary call shortly after 9 p.m. when her patrol car struck Amber Marie Raines, according to IMPD spokesman Christopher Wilburn. Raines, 20, Beech Grove, was the mother of two young children.
Ringham told investigators that Raines walked in front of her police vehicle and that she attempted to swerve to avoid the woman, but she could not avoid hitting her.
Wilburn said it doesn’t appear that Ringham, who did not have her vehicle’s emergency lights or siren activated, was speeding when her cruiser struck Raines as she was crossing the road in the 2200 block of South Keystone Avenue.
He said the department’s Fatal Accident Crash Team is investigating.
Police said Ringham, who was heading to the 2300 block of Cameron Street, less than a mile from the accident scene, struck Raines while she was walking with friends to a New Year’s Eve party.
Raines was taken to Methodist Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:22 p.m. The Marion County coroner reported she died of blunt force trauma.
The last time a pedestrian was killed by an IMPD patrol car was April 10, 2007, when officer Michael Kavanaugh struck a man who stepped in front of his patrol car near Moller Road and West 34th Street. Police said Kavanaugh had his lights and siren on while en route to assist another officer involved in a high-speed chase.
Wilburn said IMPD’s siren and emergency light activation policy “depends on the situation.”
He said officers are trained that if they want to run without their lights in an emergency -- with or without sirens -- they have to obey traffic laws. It will be up to the crash team to determine whether Ringham violated any laws or department policies, Wilburn said, but initial signs do not indicate Ringham was speeding.
“Preservation of life is our chief objective. This officer used her discretion. Based on the report, (the accident) seemed to be unavoidable. The group of pedestrians came out of nowhere,” Wilburn said.
“Our hearts go out to the family of both people involved.”
Family friend Donna Hotseller lived with Raines and her mother in Beech Grove.
“It’s such a tragedy,” said Hotseller, 49. “Right after the holiday, too. She was so young and she was so looking forward to her 21st birthday.”
Raines was walking with her boyfriend, her best friend and her best friend’s boyfriend when the accident occurred, said her aunt Dianna Raines, 49.
When reached by telephone Thursday evening, Raines’ mother, Gladys Mullarkey, was too distraught to talk.
"(Raines) was going to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her children’s father,” her aunt said.
Raines is survived by two children: daughter Brianna, 6 months, and son Calvin, 18 months.
Inside the family’s home Thursday, pictures of the young mother were evident throughout the house. A red kitchen towel with “Amber’s Kitchen” printed on it hung at the entryway of the living room.
“She had worries just like everybody else, like ‘How am I going to take care of my kids?’ ” Hotseller said. “But her mom was helping her. She was going to make it happen.”
Copyright 2009 Indianapolis Star