Husband sues Spring Hope PD after crash leaves wife unable to walk, talk

Police said the chase started on Nash Street in Spring Hope on March 7, 2021, after Terry Harris sped away from an officer who was trying to stop him for speeding. Harris was traveling 57 mph in a 35 mph zone.

The pursuit, which reached speeds of 120 mph, ended at the intersection of Poole Road and Smithfield Road in Knightdale when Harris ran a red light and crashed into Carolyn Bonner’s car.

Carolyn spent 88 days in the hospital after suffering a traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.

Two years later, Carolyn is still not talking, walking or responding.

"It just breaks my heart," said Carolyn's husband, Al Bonner. "When I saw that situation, I had no strength. It’s from that point to now that we have been living off the grace and love of God."

Carolyn and Al have been married for 31 years. Before the crash, he said his wife was working full-time, volunteering and caring for her elderly mother. Ever since the crash, Al has been caring for his wife with around-the-clock help from home health nurses.

"She was extremely, extremely active so this is a complete 180," said Al. "I know she’s looking out the window and hoping and thinking her life is totally different than what it was."

On March 7 — two years after the crash — Al filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court against Officer Lashawn Lucas, the Spring Hope Police Department and the Town of Spring Hope. The lawsuit claims Officer Lucas and his supervisors were negligent in continuing the high-speed chase.

The lawsuit alleges, "Officer Lucas breached his duty of care… by initiating and continuing a lengthy, high-speed chase because of a routine speeding offense [and] by failing to stop the chase when it became readily apparent that the chase was likely to endanger the lives and safety of innocent civilians."

Andrew DeIonno, Spring Hope town manager, said in an email, "the town doesn’t comment on pending litigation."

"Officer Lucas has never had a disciplinary action since his employment as a police officer," DeIonno said.

In a court filing, the town’s lawyer denied claims of negligence and argued the town was not responsible for damages. The town is claiming it's protected under governmental immunity, which protects police departments from liability if something happens in the course of carrying out the duties of a job.

Philip Miller, an attorney representing the Bonner family, said his lawsuit is challenging governmental immunity.

"We fully appreciate the difficulty of the legal challenges we face," Miller said. "The governmental immunity defense is a huge hurdle. However, we also firmly believe that this police chase that ended with Carolyn Bonner suffering catastrophic and life changing injuries should never have happened in the first place."

Al hopes the lawsuit will prevent similar chases in the future.

"Major decisions have consequences, and we are living with those consequences," Al said. "What we would hope for is a major reduction of not having to go through what we have to go through."

Despite his wife’s poor prognosis, Al said he is hoping for a miracle and hopes her condition will improve over time.

"She always used to say — her statement when she saw other people in tough situations — that God is a restorer," Al said. "So, [now] we say that back to her."