Family photos and videos capture the joy of a little girl whose life was cut tragically short.
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It has been more than two years since six-year-old Harlow Tran was killed when, prosecutors say, a speeding driver slammed into her family’s SUV.
Now, her parents Danny Tran and Samari Curbelo are suing the city of Coral Springs, claiming a police officer’s actions set the tragedy in motion by improperly chasing the car, which the city denies.
Harlow’s parents invited NBC6 into their home to share their story on camera for the first time. We also reviewed videos and evidence now at the center of their lawsuit.
Inside their home, there are constant reminders of their daughter.
“Her school stuff, dolls, she loved Eevee and Pokémon,” her mother said, while showing us Harlow’s favorite toys. “Her sixth birthday we did at Universal … and she said, for my seventh, can I go to New York City? We never did.”
“When something like this happens, it’s all the color that you said, you see. I don’t see it anymore. It’s gone,” Tran added.
The Crash
Harlow was killed in a high-speed crash on May 5, 2024.
A car fleeing an attempted traffic stop by Coral Springs Police slammed into the Chevy Traverse driven by her great-grandmother at a speed of 101 miles an hour, according to court filings.
The collision ripped the SUV in half, ejecting the rear seats and Harlow, who was still strapped in her car seat.
Body-worn camera from one of the responding officers captured the frantic efforts to save her life and the moment police arrested the man suspected of driving the white Mercedes that hit the SUV.
“I’m going to put the cuffs on,” an officer is heard saying in body camera video, “Roll on your side.”
Police say 26-year-old Chevon Graham was driving with a suspended license and had two passengers inside the vehicle.
The family says they rushed to the scene just blocks from their home after getting a call from Harlow’s great-grandmother, who was not seriously hurt.
“I could barely make out what she was saying, but I heard her say, ‘Harlow’s hurt, and there was an accident,'” Tran said.
Tran remembers the heartbreaking moment they learned their only child was gone.
“I…was holding on to faith,” Tran said, while fighting back tears. “I wasn’t accepting it until when we were in the back of the hospital and the doctor held my hand and told me that she couldn’t make it.”
“I can’t ever get that back. I had six years with her, and it was just not enough. It wasn’t enough,” Curbelo said.
Lawsuit Against Coral Springs
The family is suing the city of Coral Springs, alleging the officer violated department policy and initiated a dangerous pursuit over dark tinted windows.
“And ultimately that led to the death of a six-year-old child,” said attorney Brian Valentine, who represents the family.
NBC6 Investigates obtained surveillance videos from multiple angles. One of the videos shows Officer John Daddino’s police car at one point with his lights on driving behind the Mercedes, which was going as fast as 107 miles per hour seconds before the crash, according to the vehicle’s data filed in court.
Another video shows the cars traveling just over half a mile before the accident. The officer’s lights appear to be off. Then, about three seconds after the collision, video shows Officer Daddino pulling up to the scene.
“The crash happens, and the police is already right there,” Tran said. “So, if you have a no-chase policy, how did you show up so quickly?”
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The Coral Springs Police policy states that pursuits are only allowed in cases involving possible violent felonies and that “vehicle pursuits will not be initiated for traffic related offenses.”
“Generally speaking, minor traffic incidents like tinted windows, seat belt violations, those types of things are never grounds to initiate a pursuit,” Valentine said.
City’s Response
Responding to the lawsuit, attorneys for the city say this was not a police chase and that Officer Daddino turned off his lights and siren, following department policy.
They also maintain Daddino, who is not a defendant in the suit, did not act recklessly.
According to Coral Springs’ policy, if a situation does not meet the criteria for a pursuit, officers will make a 90-degree turn from the suspect vehicle. If a turn is not possible, the policy says officers will stop their car.
Officer Daddino says he tried to do that, writing in his report: “I deactivated the emergency lights and sirens on my marked vehicle and began to slow down, almost nearing a complete stop…I was not able to make a U-turn due to no break in the median in the road…”
“Second after the crash occurred, you see the officer still following behind,” Valentine said.
As the cars traveled about half a mile, surveillance videos from multiple angles shows his patrol car still behind the Mercedes even after he turned his lights off.
Officer Daddino declined to comment through his police union.
Coral Springs Police records show supervisors found he was in “compliance” with policy and a department spokesperson told NBC6 no internal affairs investigation was conducted. He went on to say, “Officer Daddino is employed with our agency, and he was not reassigned after this event.”
Lynne Martzall, a city spokesperson, declined to comment as well, citing the pending litigation.
Officer Recognized After Crash
Months after the crash, Daddino was named Officer of the Year by the Broward County Chiefs of Police Association.
Coral Springs Police posted a photo on the department’s Instagram account announcing the award pointing to his 1,743 self-initiated traffic stops in a ten-month period, 58 proactive arrests and seizures of weapons, drugs, and cash.
“Officer Daddino’s work exemplifies our mission to keep Coral Springs safe,” the post read.
Parents Seek Answers
“I just want some acknowledgement that they made a mistake,” Curbelo said.
“And… They need to do better,” Tran said.
Both parents say they held Graham, the accused driver of the Mercedes, responsible for his actions that day, but they also have questions for police.
“I just want to know is, do you think about that incident?” Tran said.
They say it is an incident they relive constantly.
“Every night, I have vivid dreams…It keeps me up I put myself in the car, I wasn’t there but I put myself there just to see if anything I could do could save her,” Tran said.
Criminal Case Ongoing
Chevon Graham remains in jail facing multiple felony charges, including fleeing from law enforcement causing death.
He has pleaded not guilty to the chargers. When questioned by investigators, he denied he was the driver.
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His attorney, Cynthia Curry, declined to comment because the case is ongoing.