Lawsuits filed over death, injury in S. Carolina Highway Patrol chase crash

By Jim Greene

Published on October 18, 2005

One suit was filed on behalf of James Busby, 7, and Kaylee Busby, 5, children of Melissa Busby, who died when her car was struck by that Ricky Robinson as he tried to elude troopers. The other was filed by Melissa Kembring, a passenger in Busby's car who was critically injured.

According to the suits, Robinson had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the state legal limit when he was stopped at a Highway Patrol license checkpoint. When he sped away from the checkpoint, troopers pursued him in what the suit claims was an irresponsible manner, in violation of Highway Patrol guidelines. Speeds of 90 per hour were reached before Robinson began crossing the centerline to pass other cars.. He crashed head on into Busby's car and was also killed.

C. Dennis Aughtry, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, said troopers should have broken off the chase as soon as Robinson began to cross the centerline. Aughtry spent a year investigating the incident after Lexington County Sheriff James Metts cleared the Highway Patrol of any wrongdoing

Aughtry said the suit was not a blanket criticism of the Highway Patrol, but that the officers involved in the incident behaved irresponsibly.

Comment on this article →