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SIMI VALLEY : Victim’s Family Sues City Over Car Crash

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The family of a Simi Valley woman who fell into a coma after a speeding police cruiser crashed into her car has filed a $27-million claim against the city.

The claim alleges that Officer Rick Reinhart acted “negligently and carelessly” in April when his police car hit Margaret Sphar, 45, as she drove out of the Metrolink parking lot onto Los Angeles Avenue.

Sphar, who was thrown from her compact car, suffered major head injuries and remains in a coma.

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The claim also names the Simi Valley Police Department, Metrolink, Ventura County, the Simi Valley Transit Authority, the Metropolitan Transit Authority and Reinhart.

Just before the crash, Reinhart was driving between 67 and 83 m.p.h. without turning on his flashing lights or siren, a study by the California Highway Patrol showed. The speed limit on Los Angeles Avenue is 45 m.p.h.

The claim charges that the city is responsible for hazardous road conditions that led to the crash.

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After the crash, the City Council agreed to install a traffic signal at the driveway to the Metrolink station within two years.

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