The City of Eugene has reached a $288,000 settlement in a $7.5 million wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Michael Amador Sanchez, who died following a January 2019 incident involving the Eugene Police Department.
The lawsuit, filed by Sanchez’s sister, Isabel M. Mihalich, alleged that police officers failed to recognize Sanchez was suffering from a mental health crisis. It also alleged that officers did not provide appropriate care and monitoring of his condition during his arrest and transport to a local hospital.
In the January 2019 incident, officers arrested Sanchez, then 34, after responding to reports of a fire at Coast Farm and Ranch in the Trainsong neighborhood. Sanchez ran into the middle of a nearby highway, ignored police commands and resisted arrest.
After officers took Sanchez into custody, he turned himself upside down in the back seat of the police car. A seat belt wrapped around his neck, causing him to become asphyxiated. By the time he arrived at the hospital, Sanchez was unconscious and fell into a coma. He died 241 days later.
As part of the $288,000 settlement, the city did not admit wrongdoing or agree to make policy changes. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, preventing further lawsuits from being filed.
Eugene Police spokesperson Melinda McLaughlin declined to comment on this story. The law office representing Isabel M. Mihalich did not respond to a request for comment.
