It alleges Englewood police Officer Deanna Roe was reckless and negligent in pursuing a vehicle that hit and killed 71-year-old Marie Hansen and seriously injured 66-year-old Genevieve Paciorek.
The pursuit
On Sept. 10, 2023, Roe reportedly attempted to stop a 2004 Volvo XC70 for speeding and false registration near on South Main Street near Wolf Avenue.
The driver, Walter Douglas Elofskey, initially slowed, but then sped up and fled, according to Englewood police.
Roe pursued the vehicle for about 1.3 miles before the Volvo T-boned a 2017 Toyota Yaris iA at Sweet Potato Ridge Road.
Elofskey drove onto the sidewalk and hit Hansen and Paciorek before crashing into a house, according to a crash report.
The civil lawsuit claims the chase reached speeds of more than 90 mph and weaved into oncoming traffic.
The women, who were sisters in law, were reportedly taking a walk with their husbands following shortly behind them when they were hit.
Paciorek suffered permanent injuries due to the crash, according to the civil lawsuit.
The wrongful death lawsuit
Joseph and Genevieve Paciorek and Hansen’s daughter, Shannon Blair, filed the lawsuit against the Englewood Police Department and Roe.
It claims Roe violated state law and Englewood Police Department procedures by failing to end the pursuit when it reached speeds “far in excess of safe limits”.
The lawsuit states the officer didn’t consider the volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, time of day, population density and other factors during the pursuit.
“The actions of Defendant Roe were in conscious disregard of or indifference to a known or obvious risk of harm to another that was unreasonable under the circumstances,” the lawsuit read.
Roe’s negligence resulted in Genevieve Paciorek’s serious and permanent injuries, as well as the death of Hansen, according to court records.
The Pacioreks and Blair are seeking a jury trial and hope to receive a judgement in excess of $1 million, according to court records.
The criminal case
Elofskey, 32, pleaded guilty to one count each of involuntary manslaughter, vehicular assault, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer and aggravated possession of drugs as well as two counts of failure to stop after an accident, according to court documents.
Two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, and one count each of vehicular manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault and possession of a fentanyl-related compound were dismissed.
Two misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle while under the influence were also dismissed.
In April Elofskey was sentenced to 19 to 24.5 years in prison. Once released he will be on post-release control for at least two years, according to court records.
His driver’s license was permanently suspended, and he was ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution to Genevieve Paciorek.
About the Author