Ex-Boca cop found at fault in fatal crash
Published May 6th, 2008
FROM STAFF REPORTS
A Palm Beach County jury last week found that a former Boca policewoman involved in a 2001 fatal crash on Yamato Road was at fault for the accident that killed the driver and injured his two passengers, according to court documents.
Ex-Officer Joelle Bean had been cleared of wrongdoing by both an internal affairs investigation and by the State Attorney’s Office.
But the jury that heard the case offered a different view.
The ruling will allow the victims and the estate of the driver that was killed to file for damages. Bean is no longer an officer with Boca Raton police.
According to reports, Daniel Elan, 60, was driving east on Yamato Road on Nov. 26, 2001. Accompanying him were two friends, Sonel Saint Ford and Fednel Demosthene.
Reports say Elan was heading east and was turning left to enter I-95 northbound. Bean was heading west in a Boca police cruiser and slammed into the car, investigators said. She was reportedly en route to investigate a purse-snatching incident.
The investigation determined that Bean was going 63 mph in a 45 mph zone. She did not have the siren or emergency lights on, said investigators.
The attorney for Elan’s estate and for the two surviving victims said he will seek damages for all. An attorney representing Boca Raton said the city will defend the case during the damage portion of the case.
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