Police Officer Justified in Speeding to 999 Call That Left Teen Brain Damaged
A police constable defied speed limits while responding to a 999 call, resulting in a crash that severely injured a 15-year-old boy.
Stockport, UK, Khia Whitehead, PC Boris McDohl, PC Sarah De Meulemeester, Cocaine, Knife
Stockport: So, there was this police constable, PC Boris McDohl, who got into a bit of hot water after speeding to a 999 call. This all happened on Boxing Day in 2020, and it ended up being a real tragedy. A 15-year-old boy named Khia Whitehead got hit and suffered severe brain damage.
McDohl was supposed to stick to the speed limit, but he thought he had a good reason to break the rules. He was trying to keep up with another officer who was responding to a dangerous situation involving a guy with a knife. The officer he was following, PC Sarah De Meulemeester, ended up crashing into Khia while speeding, which caused the boy life-changing injuries.
During the hearing, McDohl claimed he felt justified in speeding because he didn’t want his colleague to face a potentially violent situation alone. He said he was just trying to provide backup. But the thing is, he had only been a cop for a year and had just completed his basic driving training a few weeks before this incident.
After the crash, McDohl jumped out of his car and tried to help Khia, who was lying on the ground. He performed CPR until help arrived. But when he later wrote his statement, he didn’t mention that he had been speeding or that he had activated his emergency lights. He said he thought he’d provide those details later.
Now, the hearing is looking into whether he was honest about what happened that night. The whole situation is just heartbreaking, especially for Khia’s family, who were present during the hearing. It’s a tough reminder of how quickly things can go wrong, even when people are trying to do their jobs.