Imagine sitting in your own living room, lounging on a love seat and watching TV — and then a pickup truck crashes into the room, pinning you under debris. That’s what happened to a LaFollette woman last year, causing her to suffer injuries. She and her husband are claiming the detective who caused the crash, along with his fellow officers, tried to cover what happened in the car accident. Now they’re suing the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, the detective attempted to flee the scene, but the woman’s husband held him at gunpoint while he talked to authorities on the phone. The trooper then apparently called a chief deputy to help him out.
Even though couple’s call was initially reported by a dispatcher, troopers were apparently told to ignore it, and the detective was able to leave the scene. His truck was towed away.
In their lawsuit, the couple claims that the detective was not even asked to take field sobriety tests. No blood sample was taken before he could be interviewed by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Authorities later acknowledged that alcohol likely played a role in the accident. The detective was ultimately fired, as was a chief deputy, and the couple claims the sheriff apologized to them for a “cover-up.”
The couple is suing the sheriff’s office, the detective, the sheriff and the chief deputy. They are reportedly seeking punitive damages and are asking for a jury trial.
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, “Couple sues Campbell County Sheriff’s Office for living room crash,” Natalie Neysa Alund, March 23, 2012