{"id":5644,"date":"2026-06-27T12:33:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5644"},"modified":"2026-06-27T12:33:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T12:33:56","slug":"opd-now-says-faulty-emergency-lights-not-officers-errant-driving-may-have-led-to-grandmothers-death-in-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=5644","title":{"rendered":"OPD now says faulty emergency lights, not officer\u2019s errant driving, may have led to grandmother\u2019s death in crash"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A grandmother\u2019s death, initially blamed on an Orlando police officer whose SUV struck the Jeep in which she was riding, is now being attributed in part to the cruiser\u2019s faulty emergency lights and may spur the city to replace some department vehicles, according to its police chief.<\/p>\n

Read more Newsom urges a national \u2018billionaires\u2019 tax\u2019 while fighting one in California<\/a><\/p>\n

Chief Eric Smith said the SUV, a 2019 Ford Explorer, was one of the department\u2019s older vehicles and had repeated failures with its flashing emergency lights, including just before it caused the accident six months ago that killed Milagros \u201cMillie\u201d Ortiz, 92.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt caused a lot of internal stuff for us,\u201d Smith said in his first public statement on the accident, during an appearance last week on \u201cThe Patrick Carr Show\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n

Ortiz was a front-seat passenger in a Jeep taking her home from a Bingo night out with friends.<\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s statements underscore the change in stance by the department, whose initial investigation said the police SUV \u201cwas at fault for the collision due to failure to yield right of way.\u201d When that finding was revealed earlier this year, it appeared to be at least the third incident since 2023 in which an officer\u2019s errant driving had caused a bystander\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Officer Andrew McKuhen had waited a minute and a half at a red light on Hoffner Avenue at South Semoran Boulevard around 2 a.m. Jan. 18 when he flipped on the emergency flashing lights of the 2019 Ford Explorer and drove through the red light\u00a0into the intersection to follow another vehicle, according to an investigation of the incident.<\/p>\n

But the SUV\u2019s flashing lights suddenly went dark before it hit a speed of 32 mph and plowed into the driver\u2019s side of the Jeep, which had a green light. The siren did not sound at any point during the incident, an investigative finding Smith did not address.<\/p>\n

Video from a security camera at a 7-11 gas station on Hoffner Avenue showed the emergency lights on the police SUV \u201ccame back on\u201d 27 seconds after the crash.<\/p>\n

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No charges for Orlando cop in \u2018dancing\u2019 grandmother\u2019s death<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n