GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. —
Five years ago, a state trooper pursuing a speeder on Business 85 near Jamestown crashed into a car, killing two people. Now, the victims’ family is suing the trooper in civil court.
The trial against former trooper James Goodnight started Oct. 1 and continues today at 9:30 a.m.
Sheriff’s deputies shut down a stretch of Business 85 last week so jurors could see first-hand where 55-year-old Sandy Allmond and 11-year-old Taylor Strange were killed back in 2010. Two other children in the car were also seriously injured in the crash.
Investigators say Allmond caused the wreck because she failed to yield when turning at River Road. However, her family claims Goodnight should be held financially responsible, because he was driving over 100 mph seconds before the crash.
Goodnight was cleared of criminal charges, but the family is now suing the trooper.
On Wednesday, if the jury sides with Goodnight, and agree that the trooper was going after a speeder when his cruiser struck the vehicle, then the case is essentially over.
But if the jury finds that there is enough evidence that Goodnight was driving recklessly, then the case moves to the wrongful death accusation.
Goodnight resigned from the Highway Patrol after the accident. He’s currently a deputy with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department.
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