Arkansas State Trooper Sued After Pregnant Woman's Car Flips Over During Pursuit

An Arkansas woman is suing a state trooper after her car flipped over during a pursuit on a highway when she was pregnant in July 2020.

Lawyers representing Janice Nicole Harper have filed a suit alleging State Trooper Rodney Dunn “negligently performed” a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver that resulted in a crash outside Jacksonville on July 9.

Footage released by Harper’s attorneys shows the trooper approach the vehicle after it had overturned.

The suit alleges Harper had “no room to safely pull over her car” after she was clocked by Dunn driving at 84 mph in a 70 mph zone. The suit says Harper slowed to 60 mph and put on her blinkers after Dunn turned on his cruiser’s overhead lights, but she was unable to pull over.

According to lawyers for Harper, Dunn “floored his Arkansas State Police patrol cruiser to get less than a car length away” from her vehicle while pointing a spotlight in her rearview mirror.

Lawyers said “there were no exits or shoulder for Plaintiff to safely exit the highway, before Defendant Dunn negligently executed a PIT maneuver,” causing the pregnant Harper’s vehicle to flip.

Arkansas State Trooper Alan C Johnson, who was Dunn’s supervisor, was also named in the suit, along with Arkansas State Police Director William J Bryant. Credit: Denton And Zachary, PLLC via Storyful