Women sue city, police captain for negligence in car accident

By Erik Ricasa

Published on July 22, 2005

The suits accuse Investigations Capt. Eugene Wingfield of driving recklessly when his police car rear-ended their car on the Lynchburg Expressway last year.

Robin Stokes, who was driving at the time of the accident, and her daughter Kimberly, are each seeking $100,000 in the suits, filed this month in Lynchburg Circuit Court. According to the suits, the women are unable to perform jobs requiring lifting or standing for extended periods. They also claim the women require further medical treatment to cure them of the injuries received.

The police report of the accident says Wingfield, who was driving a Ford Taurus, was behind Stokes' Kia Rio as both cars were using an onramp to enter the expressway. According to the report, Wingfield began to merge onto the expressway, then swerved to the right to avoid a truck also merging onto the expressway, rear-ending Stokes' car, which had stopped.

John Perry Jr., attorney for Wingfield and the city, filed a response this week denying that Wingfield or the city were guilty of negligence and stating that Wingfield was trying to avoid an accident and responded in a reasonable manner to an emergency situation.

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