Family sues Kentucky State Police trooper who initiated chase that left 2 dead
The family of a man killed last year during a police chase in Breckinridge County filed a lawsuit against a Kentucky State Police trooper who initiated a high-speed chase on a rural road that left two people dead.
The lawsuit, filed March 10, alleges KSP trooper Travis Dalton was negligent, reckless and in violation of his duty to safely operate his police vehicle when he initiated a high-speed chase exactly one year earlier, March 10, 2024, that left Rodney Richards and Jordan Lynch dead.
Richards was the man fleeing police, and Lynch, 40, was traveling with his daughter, not involved in the chase, and was hit by Richards.
Lynch’s family filed the suit. The trooper is the only person named.
The chase happened on a two-lane, rural road, reached speeds of 110 mph and lasted more than eight minutes even though Richards was not accused of a violent crime.
The chase ended when Richards crossed the center line on Bewleyville Big Springs Road and collided head-on with Jordan Lynch, 40, who was traveling with his teenage daughter.
Richards died on impact, and Lynch died from his injuries in June 2024.
The lawsuit claims Dalton violated Kentucky State Police policy by initiating the chase despite risks to public safety.
Kentucky State Police were not immediately available for comment.
“This pursuit should never have happened,” Kevin Weis, lawyer for the Lynch family, said in a news release. “The trooper disregarded Kentucky State Police policy and basic safety considerations resulting in this tragedy.”
The complaint cites a Kentucky law, known as “Jill’s Law,” enacted in 2020, that aims to prevent bystanders from being injured or killed in police chases.
It also cites a state police order that directs troopers to drive with consideration of the safety of all people and property on the highway.
A Department of Justice report published by the Police Executive Research Forum in September 2023 recommends that “pursuits should take place only when two very specific standards are met: A violent crime has been committed and the suspect poses an imminent threat to commit another violent crime.”
Neither circumstances were present during the crash that killed Lynch, the lawsuit states.
Bystanders like Lynch make up 40% of people killed nationwide in police pursuits, according to several studies.
“For these reasons, police departments across the country... have strict requirements limiting pursuits to a very narrow set of circumstances,” the lawsuit reads. “Even in these limited situations, policies dictate that officers shall refrain from engaging in and maintaining, or terminate, a pursuit if the risks of harm to the public outweigh the benefits of apprehending the suspect. “
