Durham cop blames motorcycle crash on deputy, says Sheriff’s Office ignored concerns
The lawsuit alleges Deputy
Filed by one of the injured officers in June, the lawsuit claims the
Before the crash, police supervisors expressed concerns in person and by email with the
Be the first to know.
No one covers what is happening in our community better than we do. And with a digital subscription, you'll never miss a local story.
SIGN ME UP!
Aiken was banned from the unit for a period of time, but "instead of instituting long-term and meaningful remedial action to address his conduct and the danger he posed to others, the DCSO allowed him to return," the lawsuit states.
After the motorcycle crash, law enforcement officials described Aiken and Officer
The lawsuit, filed by the second officer,
De Vera, 38, a
19 days in hospital
A lawsuit represents one side of a story in a dispute, and Andrews, Aiken and others named in the lawsuit haven't filed their responses to the allegations.
Aiken and Andrews declined to be interviewed for this article, and
"The county attorney's office is investigating the matter and will file a timely response," Darby wrote in an email.
De Vera's attorney,
De Vera's injuries still affect his daily life, Maurer said. He transitioned into a supervisory role upon his return, Maurer said.
The lawsuit seeks more than
Aiken, who currently works as a deputy in the
The crash
On
Around
"Aiken was generally known to be a weak rider, and, as such, he was often placed at the rear of the formation to limit his impact on other riders and overall formation," the lawsuits states. But on this day, a deputy placed Aiken the number six position, in front of De Vera and Cox, the last two riders.
While traveling down the road, Aiken, who was on a
Aiken returned to his normal riding for about five minutes, but resumed erratic driving and "abruptly steered his bike to the edge of the road and ran off the road to the right, losing control of his motorcycle in the process," the lawsuit states.
Aiken swerved back on the road in front of De Vera and Cox, it states.
Cox swerved to avoid a collision with Aiken, and crashed his motorcycle in a field. De Vera swerved to the left and then the right to bring his bike to a stop, but a large utility pole was in his direct path, the lawsuit states.
"De Vera crashed his bike, was ejected from the seat, and sustained multiple life-threatening injuries," the lawsuit states.
Concerns before the crash
Before the February crash Aiken had "repeatedly engaged in conduct demonstrating that he was unfit to remain" on the motorcycle unit, according to the lawsuit
Aiken failed to complete his training, stay current on necessary motorcycle certifications, failed to follow established criteria for safe motorcycle operation and "routinely operated his motorcycle in a careless, reckless or otherwise unsafe manner which frequently jeopardizes the safety of other members of the unit," the lawsuit states.
On
A week later, the lawsuit states, Aiken was assigned by the
"Despite the fact this was to be an alcohol-free environment, Aiken himself reported for duty (in uniform and utilizing a
Employment records
Aiken has held the rank of deputy during his entire tenure with the
Aiken started working at the
Aiken received raises after annual evaluations in 2014, 2015 and 2016, but the information provided by the
___
(c)2018 The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.)
Visit The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.) at www.heraldsun.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Long Term Care Market Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 6.5% by 2023: Infinium Global Research
Michelle M. Quinn, Esq. Named Medical Malpractice Lawyer of the Year, 2019 Best Lawyers®, NEPA Region
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News