New Jersey Mother Sues State Trooper After Deadly Crash

By Evan Mix

Published on May 31, 2007

Maria Caiafa, a high school principal, is seeking unspecified damages for the deaths of daughters Jacqueline Becker, 17, and Christina Becker, 19. The girls had taken their grandmother's minivan to get milk at a convenience store.

Trooper Robert Higbee, who said he was pursuing a speeder, was allegedly traveling at 60 miles per hour without a siren or flashing lights when he ran a stop sign and collided with the minivan.

The impact killed the girls instantly. The posted speed limit in the area is 35 mph.

Higbee was initially issued summonses for failure to stop and careless driving. Caiafa hired a lawyer to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit and push investigators to file more serious charges against the trooper. Five months after the crash, Higbee was indicted on two counts of vehicular homicide. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

Higbee's lawyer contends that the collision was a tragic accident. He is seeking to have the charges dismissed.

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