(PatriotWise.com) — The Chandler, Arizona, high school senior who was seriously injured when his motorcycle was hit by another student is preparing to file suit against the school district and the city of Chandler, 12News reported.
In April, William Vannasap, a senior at Arizona College Prep High School, was leaving school on his motorcycle when another student in a Porsche sped through a stop sign and slammed into him, sending him airborne.
Vannasap sustained multiple injuries, some of which will plague him for the rest of his life, according to his attorney, April Speelmon.
Speelmon alleges that the crash was no accident but was a “really dangerous plan.”
According to the notice of claim, the driver of the Porsche was planning to ask his female passenger to the prom. The plan was to speed through the stop sign to get pulled over by a school resource officer (SRO) who was parked nearby in a police cruiser waiting for them. Then, when it looked as if the student was in trouble for running the stop sign, he planned to produce a poster asking his female passenger to the prom.
What the driver of the Porsche had not considered in his plan was the possibility of traffic at the intersection when he sped through the stop sign.
According to Speelmon, the student in the Porsche was driving more than 40 mph when he slammed into Vannasap’s motorcycle, and even a difference of milliseconds could have resulted in her client being killed.
The notice of claim accuses the SRO and the principal of knowing about and agreeing to the plan. The SRO’s body cam footage shows both he and the principal were sitting in the police cruiser moments before the crash.
However, the SRO claims that he was unaware that the student planned to speed through the intersection. He said he thought it would only be a “slow roll” through the stop sign.
The principal has denied that he was aware of the plan and said he was in the police cruiser with the SRO to discuss an unrelated matter.
However, the driver of the Porsche disputed both accounts. According to his statement to Chandler Police at the time, he discussed his plan in advance with school administrators and the SRO, and they agreed to it.
Speelmon is seeking a settlement agreement of $1 million from Chandler Unified School District, the city of Chandler, the principal, and the SRO to avoid the lawsuit.
The potential lawsuit does not include the driver of the Porsche. According to Speelmon, a separate claim against him is currently in the works.
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