A Meriwether County Sheriff’s Office deputy was needlessly speeding through an intersection last year when he plowed into a man’s car and killed him on his way to work, according to a new lawsuit.
The deputy who hit 61-year-old Ronald Moreland was going 20 miles over the speed limit at 67 mph without emergency lights or sirens and was not responding to an emergency call, Moreland’s widow said in the suit filed June 10.
Moreland was turning left off of I-85 in Senoia on the morning of April 4, 2024, when the deputy, who was in a marked police car, accelerated through the intersection toward him, she said.
Meriwether Sheriff Chuck Smith declined to comment on the case citing ongoing litigation.
Attorney Harry M. Daniels, who is representing Moreland’s family, provided dashcam footage of the incident showing the officer driving through a green light and crashing into Moreland’s vehicle on the passenger side.
“Law enforcement is there to hold citizens accountable,” Daniels said. “The question is, when the police is breaking the law, who’s holding them accountable?”
According to a Georgia State Patrol report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a witness who was behind Moreland said the turning lane arrow was flashing yellow when Moreland turned.
The victim’s widow, Octovene Moreland, is seeking compensatory damages for pain and suffering, loss of consortium, funeral and burial expenses, and future earnings of the deceased, according to the suit.
Moreland was the primary provider for his wife and grandchildren, Daniels said.
“You can imagine the financial strain it places on the family, but not just financial strain, but the emotional and the impact of the loss of a husband grandfather,” he said.
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