ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 The family of a 92-year-old woman killed in a crash with an Orlando Police Department patrol vehicle said it is planning to file a $92 million lawsuit \u2014 one million dollars for each year of her life.<\/p>\n
Milagros \u201cMillie\u201d Ortiz died in January after a collision involving an OPD patrol vehicle. <\/p>\n
Ortiz\u2019s family announced Thursday it intends to file litigation against OPD, the company that manufactured the red and blue flashing lights on the patrol car, and the company responsible for maintaining OPD\u2019s fleet of vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want justice for my mother,\u201d said Judy Santiago, Ortiz\u2019s daughter. \u201cThere has to be accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Video captured by a city traffic camera shows the moments leading up to the deadly crash at the intersection of South Semoran Boulevard and Hoffner Avenue on January 18. <\/p>\n
While stopped at a red light, Orlando Police Officer Andrew McKuhen reportedly spotted another driver making an illegal U-turn. <\/p>\n
As the officer began entering the intersection, the video shows he activated the patrol vehicle\u2019s emergency lights, which appeared steady rather than flashing.<\/p>\n
A witness does not recall hearing a siren.<\/p>\n
Seconds later, the emergency lights turned off entirely and remained dark as the officer accelerated through the intersection and into the path of an SUV carrying Ortiz home from a bingo game.<\/p>\n
Ortiz, who was sitting in the front passenger seat of her friend\u2019s Jeep, later died at a hospital.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the office of State Attorney Monique Worrell declined to file criminal charges against the officer. <\/p>\n
In a memo, the state attorney\u2019s traffic homicide unit chief cited a \u201clack of evidence showing that Officer Andrew McKuhen\u2019s driving in this case was reckless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Investigators also found \u201cno evidence that McKuhen intentionally turned off the emergency lights.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the state attorney\u2019s office noted the officer\u2019s vehicle had a history of issues with the operation of its lights and sirens dating back years. <\/p>\n
Maintenance records indicated the vehicle had previously been involved in a crash on March 9, 2020, during which emergency lights were removed and reinstalled during repairs. <\/p>\n
A March 2023 work order noted that \u201conly part of the strobes\u201d were working, with records indicating repairs were made at that time.<\/p>\n
A February 2025 work order flagged that \u201ca couple buttons on the emergency control are not working\u201d, notably the siren, though no repair was completed because the problem could not be replicated. <\/p>\n
Another work order in September 2025 noted the siren box worked intermittently, requiring the operator to \u201cswitch them all the way to the right and it might not still work\u201d. But no repairs were made after the box functioned properly during inspection.<\/p>\n
Just weeks before the crash, a November 2025 work order reported the sirens were not working and that the siren box may need to be reprogrammed. The officer was advised to \u201ctake it to public safety\u201d.<\/p>\n
Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the Ortiz family, indicated the damages they will be seeking in their lawsuit against the police department, the vehicle maintenance company and the light bar manufacturer is symbolic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think $92 million, representing a million dollars for each year of her life, is equitable,\u201d Crump said.<\/p>\n
Santiago echoed that sentiment, saying the lawsuit will be about more than her mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want her death to have gone in vain,\u201d Santiago said while fighting back tears. \u201cIt has to be worth something so it prevents the next tragedy on another family member, so they don\u2019t have to stand here like we are standing here today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crump did not say when the lawsuit would formally be filed.<\/p>\n
Orlando Police have declined to comment on the matter while the agency conducts an internal investigation.<\/p>\n
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