Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, December 24, 1993 TAG: 9312240176
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The lawsuits, filed Thursday in Roanoke Circuit Court, allege that police veteran Fred Robinson caused the wreck by speeding on Williamson Road without activating his flashing blue lights or siren.
Robinson was killed the night of Jan. 5, 1992, while responding to a burglar alarm at Valley View Mall. He was driving faster than 50 mph when he hit a car that turned into his path.
Regina Heck, who was driving into the parking lot of a business, told police at the time she did not see Robinson's car until it clipped the front of her's, spinning it around in the road, as Robinson attempted to swerve out of the way.
Robinson's cruiser then crashed into a building. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
In separate lawsuits, Heck and a passenger in her car, Melissa Ann Collins, alleged the accident was caused by Robinson's "negligent, careless and reckless manner."
Each is asking for $100,000 in damages.
The lawsuits state that Heck and Collins suffered "severe and permanent injuries." Authorities said at the time that they suffered minor injuries and were treated and released from the hospital.
The call to which Robinson was responding was not considered an emergency.
Robinson reportedly had been involved in a tense confrontation minutes before responding to the call to Valley View. That and the long distance he had to cover may have contributed to his speeding, police said.
In a statement at the time, Roanoke police said their officers "are neither trained nor encouraged to exceed the speed limit in response to calls which are not considered of an emergency nature."
"However, the intrinsic instinct to rush to the aid of a citizen or even business in distress is extremely difficult to train against," the statement continued. "We will continue to work at this."
by CNB