• 09
  • June
    2010

North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Jeff Gordon defended the agency's vehicle-chase policies and procedures following a deadly crash on Sunday, May 23, between a 2009 Dodge patrol car and a 1995 Honda not involved in the pursuit.
 
Trooper J.D. Goodnight was chasing a Buick Skylark on U.S. Highway 29/70 in Guilford County on Sunday morning. According to a preliminary crash report, that car was alleged to be traveling at about 80 miles per hour, with Goodnight pursuing at speeds that reached 120 miles per hour.

During the chase, Sandra Allmond, a Thomasville resident driving the opposite direction in the Honda, made a turn into Goodnight's path. Goodnight was unable to avoid the collision and struck Allmond while traveling approximately 95 miles per hour. The Honda - which the crash report states "failed to yield" when entering the intersection - split in half, killing Allmond and a child. Goodnight is on injury leave.

There were witnesses to the crash, who stated that, although Goodnight had his blue lights on, the patrol car's siren was not activated.

The Highway Patrol has responded by seeking an independent inquiry into the accident, asking the state Attorney General's Office to focus on relevant policies and whether they were complied with. Colonel Randy Glover, commander of the state Highway Patrol, stated that he wanted "every stone turned" to ensure a comprehensive and accurate investigation.

Sgt. Gordon notes that the Highway Patrol presently has no maximum speed limit to govern a trooper's pursuit. He states that the final crash report , which will incorporate an accident reconstruction, will better gauge if the patrol car's siren was on during the chase.

Allmond's son, Gerald, called Goodnight's speed "gross negligence" and cited a need for the Highway Patrol to revise its protocols.

Gordon says the agency already monitors its policies on a continual basis, and seeks public understanding that events flowing from high-speed pursuits "happen within a matter of seconds."

Related Resource: WRAL.com "Report: Trooper going 120 mph before fatal Guilford wreck" May 27, 2010