London Police Officer Charged With Manslaughter After Yelling At Driver Caused Heart Attack

There is a fascinating case out of England where an officer has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a woman died following a road-rage argument. Christine Roche, 64, had a heart attack at the wheel after being confronted by the unnamed off-duty officer who was yelling at her for clipping his car mirror. The yelling reportedly induced the heart attack and led to the manslaughter charge.

The officer reportedly had his children in the back seat and began ranting against the elderly couple Mrs. Roche had a pre-existing heart condition and has just had a heart operation.

She had a heart attack after the officer grabbed the keys from out of the ignition and, when a bystander objected that he or she was going to call police, he reportedly stated “I am the police.”

I have never seen a manslaughter case involving an induced heart attack. There is a notion in torts that “you take your victim as you find him” — meaning if you commit negligence, you cannot object that the negligent act had a more pronounced effect on this victim. If this were a case of road rage, they could argue the death was a direct result of the crime. However, this would push the limits of the definition of manslaughter.

Source: Daily Mail