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CUDAHY - A man is dead and a woman is injured after a car chase.  The man who died was reportedly suicidal, while the woman now has a new understanding on life.

South Milwaukee Police say the chase started when Douglas Fairbanks, 40, left a house in their city that officers had under surveillance in a child pornography investigation.

Fairbanks then led police on a chase until running a red light and crashing into another car at the corner of South Packard and East College avenues in Cudahy.

Officers say a shotgun the suspect had with him in the car went off, killing him. Police say Fairbanks took his own life.

South Milwaukee Police Chief Ann Wellens said the man sent a text to his brother before the crash. 

Fairbanks' family said he was depressed and suicidal.

Fairbanks' brother-in-law also said the child pornography Fairbanks had in his home did not belong to him, and that he was holding it for a friend who was on probation. 

South Milwaukee police are continuing to investigate.

Jennifer Grochowski, 23, was in the car that Fairbanks crashed into. She was taken to Froedtert Hospital, where she was treated and released.

Grochowski explains that the accident gave her a new appreciation for life.

"The sun is brighter, the clouds are fluffier, I laugh a lot," she said through tears. "It's just really good to be here."

She got eight stitches on her knee and is limping. She also has several bruises. But she knows it could have been so much worse.

"The officer said if it had been a few more feet, it would be a different story and I might not be here. It was my lucky day. It was a very, very lucky St. Patrick's Day," she said.