A woman has filed a lawsuit against Arkansas State Police after an officer who was attempting to get her to pull over caused her to flip her car while she was pregnant.
A video trending on Twitter and Reddit has resurfaced showing an Arkansas State Police trooper using a “PIT maneuver” to stop a pregnant woman’s car on the interstate, causing it to overturn.
According to FOX 16, a pregnant Nicole Harper was on her way home when Senior Cpl. Rodney Dunn caught her speeding on I-67/167 outside Jacksonville, Arkansas.
Dunn claims that once he flashed his lights, she fled; however, Harper says she “was trying to find a safe place to stop on a section of interstate that has a reduced shoulder.”
The police dashcam video from Dunn’s patrol car shows Harper trying to negotiate the reduced shoulder by pulling into the right lane, slowing down, and turning on her hazards. Her actions appeared in line with Arkansas state guidance.
Dunn nudged her vehicle, forcing Harper’s car into the concrete median and causing it to flip. Dunn used a PIT maneuver, or Precision Immobilization Technique, that involves deliberately hitting and spinning out cars during chases.
Arkansas State Police Director Col. Bill Bryant issued a statement on the incident, saying in part:
“There’s a fundamental state law none of us should ever forget. All drivers are required under Arkansas law to safely pull off the roadway and stop when a police officer activates the patrol vehicle emergency lights and siren.
A cop flipped over a pregnant woman's car because she didn't pull over quick enough.
— Stephen Ford (@StephenSeanFord) June 9, 2021
Not only is what she did not wrong, it's what you're supposed to do: turning on hazards to indicate you're complying and pulling over at the next safe place to do so…
This man is still a cop. pic.twitter.com/kvNEeEmdf6
The language of the law is crystal clear. Upon the immediate approach of an authorized emergency vehicle displaying the signal to stop, the driver must pull over and stop.”
The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, which is representing the State Police, told FOX 16 that it could not provide a comment “due to pending litigation.” Harper’s lawyer told KARK that her goal was to ensure “this doesn’t happen to another driver.”
