HAMTRAMCK — A high speed chase suspect is in police custody still waiting to be charged and arraigned.
The chase happened in Hamtramck last evening and ended in a violent crash on Norwalk street near Conant.
The driver survived, however two homes and a vehicle were badly damaged.
So it begs the question… who pays?
Areefin Ahmed said the crash sounded like a bomb, and it destroyed his family’s only working vehicle.
“We’re gonna have to figure out how to start going places without our car," Ahmed told 7 Action News.
“We depend on it to go to school, to go to the doctor, to go to the hospitals if we need to, to go shopping for food, clothes, supplies, everything we need," he explained.
With the family car out of commission and no other convenient option, he said his sister took an Uber to the train station to get to back to school in Ann Arbor.
"Around $50, 60 (round trip)," Ahmed said.
"And usually that would just be like gas money we put into the car that we can use long term. So it’s a huge setback for us," he added.
An attorney at Ruhul Mumen Law Firm in Hamtramck told 7 Action News the responsibility is on the driver to pay. He said it’s a fairly complicated scenario based on some unknown factors. However, if the driver was insured, then the driver’s insurance will cover all of the property damage.
The family can also, of course, sue the driver for damages.
But the community is already helping them bounce back. The mom, Dardeni Chowdury, created Gofundme which has raked in thousands of dollars and has a goal of $25,000.
“My mom, my sisters and me, we all appreciate... we all appreciate their donations. We’re really grateful for them because this, again, is a lot of damage. We can’t cover that," Ahmed said.
If you want to help them out, a link to their Gofundme can be found by clicking here.
Hamtramck police said the family can file a civil suit against the driver if they so choose.
As for criminal charges, 7 Action News was told to expect an update tomorrow morning.
