Investigation reveals Orlando police disciplined officer involved in crash that killed 92-year-old
ORLANDO, Fla. —
WESH 2 Investigates has learned Orlando police disciplined the officer involved in a crash that killed a 92-year-old great-grandmother back in January.
Traffic-camera video first seen on WESH 2 News shows Officer Andrew McKuhen’s marked SUV slamming into the Jeep carrying Milagros Ortiz home from her weekly bingo game. The video showed the vehicle’s emergency equipment wasn’t working properly.
The internal affairs investigation found McKuhen violated the department’s safe driving of police vehicles policy. The department decided to suspend him for 80 hours, but records obtained by WESH 2 Investigates show he opted to give up 80 hours of personal leave.
McKuhen told the investigator that he was attempting to stop a vehicle that made an illegal U-turn.
The discipline memo states, “McKuhen created a risk to public safety while attempting to investigate a minor traffic violation.”
The investigator also considered Ortiz’s death and the impact on the reputation of the Orlando Police Department as aggravating factors.
The State Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute McKuhen.
Attorney Ben Crump has filed a $92 million wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of the Ortiz family.