A family is suing the village of Bedford Park, Illinois, following a crash that sent their two children to the hospital with brain injuries.

On March 19, Miguel Alvarado allegedly stole a Bedford Park police car and then a U.S. Postal Service truck before crashing into Remah Abdelghani's car, injuring her two children, Mohammad Ali Odeh and Afaf Ali Odeh.

"This crash has taken our lives and our entire family apart," he said.

The children's father, Ali Odeh, said his 7-year-old son suffered a traumatic brain injury, and his 4-year-old daughter has a severe spinal cord injury and can't walk. 

In a lawsuit Abdelghani's family is filing against the village, their attorneys claim police improperly detained Alvarado when they tried to arrest him before the crash.

"When we started our investigation on this case, it became apparent right away that this was preventable," attorney Sharif Maadi said.

The lawsuit claims Alvarado was arrested earlier that day after he was accused of starting fires in a Walmart parking lot, but was released after being charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct. Alvarado was then accused of trespassing at a Speedway gas station and ripping products off the shelves and harassing employees.

When police responded to the gas station, instead of immediately placing him into custody, officers allegedly allowed him to have a cigarette, and while officers' backs were turned, he stole a police squad car and fled the scene.

At the time of the incident, police said after stealing a squad car, Alvarado abandoned it on a set of railroad tracks in Chicago Ridge, carjacked a postal worker, dragged her out of her postal truck, and punched her in the face before driving off.

He then crashed into Abdelghani's car, injuring her and her two sons, ages 7 and 4. According to her lawsuit, both her children suffered severe injuries in the crash. Court documents show Alvarado was going as fast as 80 mph before the crash.

The children's father said the crash could have been avoided had Alvarado already been in custody that day.

"The police officers were beyond careless in how they handled that matter, and I just want to make sure no family ever has to go through that," he said.

After the crash, Alvarado was charged with vehicular hijacking, possession of a stolen law enforcement vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated reckless driving, reckless driving, and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash

The family's's lawsuit accuses police of "utter indifference to the safety of others" in allowing Alvarado to steal the police car by letting him have a cigarette while they talked with their backs to him. 

"Someone who was committing arson earlier in the day, you don't allow them to walk across the street to have a cigarette and give them the opportunity to flee police officers, and then carelessly and recklessly allow him into a police vehicle where he takes off," attorney Jack Casciato said. 

Surveillance video shows officers speaking with Alvarado outside the Speedway.

"Their plan was to take Mr. Alvarado and bring him to the Orange Line. Well, that's simply not proper police practice," Casciato said.

Another surveillance video shows three officers standing underneath the awning of the Bedford Park firehouse across the street from the gas station. While officers stood several feet away, Alvarado sneaked into a squad car and took off.

Former Chicago Police First Deputy Superintendent Anthony Riccio said when officers arrive on scene of a reported crime, they must determine whether the suspect should be arrested.

"In this video, though, it is a little disturbing as to why the officers didn't respond sooner – place him into handcuffs," Riccio said.

While it's unclear what the Bedford Park Police Department's protocols are when it comes to leaving their squad cars on, Riccio said that's not practiced in Chicago.

"I know a lot of departments, including Chicago, have explicitly come out and said you will not leave your vehicle running. When you leave the vehicle, you turn it off. You take the keys with you," he said.

The children's parents are seeking unspecified damages to cover their sons' medical bills.

"I've decided to file this lawsuit because my children will need a lifetime of care," their father said.

Alvarado has since died, and is not named in the lawsuit.

The village of Bedford Park and the Bedford Park Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.