THE FAMILY of a US motorcycle officer killed two years ago while escorting Hillary Clinton has sued her and the city of Dallas, accusing the State of a 'cover-up'.
Alleging Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada wasn't properly trained, the road was inadequately maintained and Clinton didn't give the city enough time to prepare for the motorcade, the lawsuit was filed this week on the second anniversary of the bike cop's death.
Lozada was killed on February 22, 2008, when he lost control of his bike while escorting Clinton's motorcade. The force of the impact was severe enough to knock off the rider's helmet. The lawsuit also involves Super Seer Corp., the maker of Lozada's motorcyclesafety headwear.
"None of this is going to bring back their father and husband," said David Schiller, attorney for the Lozada family. He said the family filed suit "because they don't believe that, without taking legal action, many of these things are going to change on their own."
But training reports lodged less than a month before Lozada's death put a whole new twist on the case. It's alleged Lozada's trainer, Senior Cpl. Dale Erves, did not think Lozada was ready to ride on duty, stating in a report that the officer had made "so many mistakes" that it scared Erves. The report concluded Lozada needed at least two more weeks of training.
However, The Dallas Morning News obtained copies of Lozada's training records, dated January 25, 2008. The document was signed by Erves and Lozada stated that Lozada had passed training. This week, Erves claims his initial report, indicating Lozada had failed, was a joke.
"Victor and I got a laugh out of it," Erves said. "Victor had improved tremendously, and he was doing very well with his riding ability."
The family now believes the Dallas State is involved in a cover-up.
The case continues.
