SC Highway Patrol trooper sues Lexington Co. Sheriff’s Department

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A South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper is suing the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department after being struck on the roadside during a routine traffic stop on Sept 9.

The trooper, Master Trooper Wayne H. LaBounty, was conducting the traffic stop on Augusta Highway in Lexington County, according to The State newspaper, when Deputy Dave Witter abruptly stopped in an active traffic lane and failed to activate his emergency or hazard lights, the lawsuit says.

Attorney Robert Goings of Goings Law Firm in Columbia told The State that it is against best practices for law enforcement to stop in the middle of a four-lane road without activating emergency lights.

“There’s no reason [Witter] should’ve done that and that set off a chain of events where vehicles driving behind him had to abruptly stop, slow down, and avoid hitting him,” Goings said.

According to The State, Witter stopping caused drivers behind him to slam on breaks, including one driver who lost control of his vehicle and struck LaBounty. LaBounty was airlifted to the hospital in serious condition and has “a long road to recovery,” Goings said.

“This is less about the sheriff’s department failing to follow proper protocol,” Goings told The State. “For us, it’s about a state trooper who was doing everything right that day, who put on his service vest, put on his uniform and his life is now forever changed.”

Witter graduated from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy in January, the article states, and it is unclear whether he is still employed with the sheriff’s department.