North Carolina Car Crash Weirdness: Police Officer Smashes Car into House…But Stays on the Job
Police officers are supposed to pick up the pieces after North Carolina car accidents…not cause them!
But a bizarre story reported in South Carolina (News Channel 7) has many questioning the driving prowess of a veteran officer. According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, 25-year old John Leopard was responding to a call about a fight in progress, when his patrol car veered off the road and smashed into a house on North Street. The accident happened around 9 p.m. Fortunately, nobody was home, so no one was hurt, save Leopard, who suffered minor scratches and bruising. The Highway Patrol is investigating the accident. But for now, Officer Leopard remains on the job…although he cannot drive a city vehicle until the investigators finish their work.
The story raises more questions than answers:
• Was the officer distracted behind the wheel (e.g. on the phone, on a CB radio, etc); and, if so, did the distraction cause him to veer off the road?
• Was his 2008 Crown Victoria somehow damaged or mechanically unsound?
• Had other cars made similar “mistakes” on North Street before? If so, maybe there is a flaw in the road signage or engineering – a line of sight problem, perhaps?
• Does Officer Leopard have a history of accidents or other driving issues?
Examining the totality of evidence is always crucial. News reports often provide just the bare essence of what happened in an accident. Even if the news reports are written as objectively as possible, they may include a slant or bias, just due to the nature of the storytelling and the phrases picked at random by the writer.
To really determine the truth of an accident – to find out why it occurred, who was really responsible, and who should be liable for paying for costs like damage to property, medical costs, lost work time, etc. – you need to conduct an intense, thorough analysis. Your instincts about what happened might be right…or they might be way off. To get the clarity you need to build the best possible case, connect with a North Carolina auto accident law firm.
More Web Resources:
Police officer who crashed car into a home still on the job
Why do cars crash into buildings?
