The man accused of causing a deadly crash in Coral Springs two years ago is still awaiting trial.
Read more Hialeah assisted living facility forced to close after regulators find multiple violations
Now, the parents of 6-year-old Harlow Tran, who died in the May 5, 2024, crash, are suing the city of Coral Springs, raising questions about a police officer’s actions moments before the impact.
NBC6 Investigates reviewed exclusive video and dozens of court records related to the case.
THE AFTERMATH OF THE CRASH
911 calls obtained by NBC6 captured chaos after a crash on May 5, 2024.
“OK, there’s an accident off Sample Road and NW 85 Avenue,” one caller said. “There’s cops there, but I think somebody’s injured.”
Another caller can be heard screaming:
“It’s a baby! It’s a baby! Oh my God!”
The crash scene left an SUV ripped in half and Harlow Tran’s car seat thrown into a parking lot.
Frantic efforts to save her life were captured on an officer’s body camera as he ran to retrieve medical supplies from his patrol vehicle.
Harlow’s parents were home just blocks away.
“We didn’t get the call until long after the scene,” said her mother, Samari Curbelo.
“Until the ambulance showed up,” her father Danny Tran added.
According to investigators, the 6-year-old was riding home with her great-grandmother when a driver fleeing an attempted traffic stop slammed into their SUV, launching Harlow while she was still strapped into her car seat.
“She was smart, and she had a really big personality,” Curbelo said in an emotional interview.
“She wanted to be the princess and the knight,” Tran added.
LAWSUIT AGAINST CORAL SPRINGS
Harlow’s parents have filed a lawsuit against the city of Coral Springs.
The lawsuit alleges Officer John Daddino began a “dangerous” pursuit over dark window tints despite department policy that prohibits chases for traffic violations.
Brian Valentine is representing the family.
“That’s the point of these policies, and it’s important they’re adhered to. When policies are not adhered to is when there’s a significant chance of ending with results like this,” Valentine said.
In court filings, attorneys for the city of Coral Springs argue the incident was not a chase and that Daddino followed policy by deactivating his lights and siren as required.
WITNESS RECOUNTS MOMENTS BEFORE THE CRASH
Manuel Sayago said he was riding his motorcycle westbound on Sample Road moments before the crash.
“That is something that I am going to remember always because I was there,” Sayago said in an exclusive interview with NBC6.
Investigators recorded his statement on the day of the crash.
“When I saw a white car going fast, then I went back to my lane and the next thing that I saw is a police officer going behind him,” Sayago said at the time.
“I presumed it was a police officer; no lights were on,” Sayago told NBC6.
Data from the Mercedes showed it was traveling 107 miles per hour just seconds before the crash.
Investigators say 26-year-old Chevon Graham was behind the wheel with two passengers in the vehicle. According to police, Graham was driving with a suspended license.
Graham has since pleaded not guilty to multiple felony charges, including fleeing law enforcement causing death. His attorney declined to comment since the case is pending.
Sayago says he heard the crash and ran to help.
“As soon as I saw the child, I ran back to the police officer, the one that I saw chasing him, let’s say, and I said there was a child on the car,” Sayago told an investigator that day in a recorded statement.
Two years later, Sayago says he is not sure whether what he saw was a chase.
He described the moment he saw Harlow’s great-grandmother who was not seriously hurt.
“I asked her if she was OK, and she was asking for her granddaughter again and the phone,” he said. “So, I just said to her that I want to try to find the phone for her. And I did, and after I found it, I gave it to her.”
VIDEOS SHOW MOMENTS BEFORE IMPACT
Officer Daddino wrote in his report that he spotted the Mercedes in the eastbound lanes. The vehicle made a U-turn, and Daddino did the same before activating his lights and siren.
Surveillance video reviewed by NBC6 Investigates shows Daddino’s patrol car following the Mercedes. In one video, the officer’s emergency lights appear to be activated.
Read more Education On 6
In his report, Daddino wrote that the Mercedes began accelerating and changing lanes at the next intersection. The officer wrote that he then deactivated his lights and began slowing down, “almost nearing a complete stop.”
Video from that intersection shows both vehicles passing through the traffic light. The officer’s lights appear to be off.
Video from the next block shows the Mercedes racing ahead, with Daddino’s patrol car several seconds behind. About three seconds after the crash, Daddino’s patrol vehicle arrives at the scene.
“So, if you have a no-chase policy, how did you show up so quickly?” Danny Tran asked.
WAS IT A CHASE?
Dr. Roy Taylor, who has 45 years of law enforcement experience, including serving as a police chief and an expert witness in police pursuit cases, reviewed the available surveillance videos and officer’s report.
When asked whether the incident constituted a pursuit, Taylor responded: “No.”
Taylor says he believes the officer followed protocol.
“You know maybe not perfectly. But based on him being in a situation where you have traffic, you’ve got parked cars, the speed he was going, he’s got to have time to slow down to make these maneuvers or stop safely.”
He added video shows the officer appears to slow down but there was not enough time or distance before the crash occurred. “And unfortunately for this family, it just enough time didn’t play out to allow this policy to take effect,” he said.
He also said that while the incident may look like a chase to the public, it does not meet the definition of one.
The family’s attorney says that’s not what the video shows.
“Seconds after the crash occurred, you see the officer still following behind,” Valentine said, “If protocol had been followed, we believe it would show a different story.”
‘UPSET, ANGRY, BAFFLED‘
Attorneys for the city also argue in a court filing that Harlow’s injuries were partly the result of not properly using a seat belt or safety restraint system.
“As a result of decedent knowingly and voluntarily choosing not to utilize or property utilize the seat belt and/or shoulder harness or safety restraint system, the plaintiff suffered injuries or damages and/or her injuries or damages were increased.”
When asked about the claim, Harlow’s mother responded with these words: “Upset, angry, baffled.”
“Unbelievable that to say that she wasn’t buckled in,” her father added.
Daddino’s own account describes Harlow as “still seated in her car seat in seat belt restraints.”
Another officer wrote that he used a “seatbelt cutter” to help Daddino remove her from the car seat.
Records also show that Daddino performed CPR on Harlow, but she was not responsive.
“I would look at her every day and just be like, wow, I’m a mom and you’re my kid,” Curbelo said.
Harlow’s parents say they learned at the hospital that they had lost their only child.
“I just think the next day I open my eyes; she’s going to be home. She’s going to be alive. This is just a bad dream,” Curbelo said.
NO INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION
NBC6 Investigates is still waiting for key evidence, including Officer Daddino’s body camera video.
Records show supervisors found Daddino was in compliance with policy, and police say no internal affairs investigation was done.
Officer Daddino declined to comment through his police union. A spokesperson for Coral Springs Police told NBC6 he remains in the department and was not reassigned after this incident.
Read more New York sues Kalshi, alleging it’s an ‘illegal gambling operation’
The city of Coral Springs also declined to comment, citing pending litigation.