Mom Seeks Answers In Police Accident

A local mom has been trying to get answers to some questions regarding an accident involving her son and a Monroe police officer for the past month. Darris Jefferson said that her son was in his vehicle at the intersection of Armand and Hwy 165 on March 3, 2024, around 10:00 AM, waiting for the light to change. He was in the right lane heading east when a big truck pulled next to him in the left lane. According to Jefferson, the truck pulled to the very edge of Hwy 165, blocking the traffic flow heading south. The son couldn't move forward to see the southward flow of traffic because the truck had blocked his vision. The son waited until the light turned green, but as the truck lurched forward and stopped, so did the son. A police officer allegedly was traveling through the light, passing the truck, and swerved to miss her son's vehicle. The passenger fender/bumper area allegedly struck the left front driver's side fender, ripping it completely from the vehicle. Jefferson said that her son's vehicle was heavily damaged, and her son was shaken up.

She said that the officer allegedly told her son, "I tried to miss you," and that he "was sorry." An investigating officer arrived at the scene to do a report. Jefferson also said that someone from the city came to the scene and interviewed her son to "explain" about the accident, basically telling him that the officer's "lights were on" and that police and emergency vehicles "have the right" to go through traffic lights in case of emergencies. Pictures were taken at the scene, but Jefferson was not given a ticket for the accident. That was "concerning," says Jefferson, because it is next to impossible for a civilian not to be ticketed in an accident with a police officer. What was most perplexing to Jefferson was that her son was allegedly not asked if he was injured or needed medical treatment by anyone investigating the accident. She said her son's license was scanned, and all his papers checked out. She even said that the officer involved did not react in an "angry" manner during the time that he was there. No angry outbursts, just an alleged "I'm sorry" comment.

Jefferson believes that there is more and is convinced that her son is not at fault. She has requested video of the incident to see if, in fact, the emergency lights were on. She has contacted MPD numerous times since the accident for the video but was recently told that approval must be given. She is still waiting. She said that she has also made numerous attempts to either see Mayor Friday Ellis or Chief Victor Zordan, but to no avail. She said that it is difficult to attain the services of a lawyer to pursue her case. In the meantime, she says that her son promptly sought medical attention, where he took x-rays, had a shot for pain, took pain medication, and had a follow-up appointment. Jefferson said that she isn't sure what to do next, as having to wait this long for concrete answers from city hall is not making things any better for her and her son.