Crash video will be integral part of Macon couple's suit against state trooper
Light rain fell on state trooper William James Schwab's windshield as he navigated his way through downtown Macon about two years ago.
His in-car camera showed how, while off duty, he waited at a red light near the Medical Center, Navicent Health, that morning, then drove on Forsyth Street, turning right onto College Street.
Schwab turned onto Georgia Avenue, headed toward Mulberry Street and the Bibb County Courthouse, then slowed down when a dark sedan in front of him made a turn.
A Macon couple has filed suit alleging that Schwab then sped up, causing his Dodge Charger to collide with their Lexus sport utility vehicle at the corner of Orange Street and Georgia Avenue, less than a block past where the sedan turned.
The Telegraph obtained video from the Jan. 11, 2014, crash through an Open Records Act request with the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the defendant listed in the suit. Joan and John Harris filed their complaint Jan. 6.
Almost immediately after the impact of the crash, Schwab used his in-car radio to call for help.
"A car just pulled out in front of me and I hit 'em," he said.
Other records obtained as part of the request show that a crash review board investigated the collision and determined that Schwab wasn't at fault.
Contacted for comment, the Department of Public Safety and a Macon lawyer representing the Harrises each declined comment.
Georgia law sets out specific rules for when and how a person must notify a city, county or state government of intention to bring a legal action. In a Dec. 23, 2014, demand letter sent to the department, the state agency that oversees the Georgia State Patrol, the Harrises' lawyers said they're seeking more than $1 million in compensation for injuries, medical bills, lost wages and other damages that resulted from the crash.
Their lawsuit, filed in Bibb County State Court, alleges that Schwab was taking his girlfriend to a meeting in downtown Macon about 10 a.m. the day of the crash.
The Harrises contend that Schwab, then 28, quickly accelerated in the rain, above the posted 30 mph speed limit on Georgia Avenue, just before Joan Harris pulled out onto the road from Orange Street, according to the letter filed with the court along with the lawsuit.
Joan Harris maintains she didn't see Schwab's patrol car when she pulled out.
"Mrs. Harris would have been able to clear the intersection where the wreck occurred if the trooper was not traveling at a speed so excessive of the speed limit," according to the letter.
The crash report, also filed as part of the suit, indicates that Harris failed to yield the right of way to Schwab.
Joan Harris, 70, suffered a broken pelvis, ruptured spleen and internal bleeding that required blood transfusions. She was hospitalized for 19 days and spent 18 days in a health rehabilitation facility, according to the letter.
Her husband, a passenger, also was injured.
Schwab sustained a cut on his head, and his girlfriend, who had been riding in the back seat, had cuts on her face, according to the report.
To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398 or find her on Twitter @awomackmacon.
This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 10:02 PM with the headline "Crash video will be integral part of Macon couple's suit against state trooper ."