Petersburg man blames wreck on Mineral Co. deputy

KEYSER - A Grant County man wants officials in neighboring Mineral County to compensate him for injuries he incurred following a collision with one of its employees.

The Mineral County Commission is named as a defendant in a personal injury suit filed by Glen W. Steyer II. In his complaint filed Aug. 9 in Mineral Circuit Court, Steyer, 64 and of Petersburg, alleges a deputy sheriff’s attempt to initiate a traffic stop with another vehicle instead caused a wreck between them.

According to his complaint, Steyer at an unspecified time on Aug. 15, 2011, was driving his 2007 Harley Davidson motorcycle south on U.S. 220. Ahead of him, Deputy Chris Edward Leatherman was driving his patrol cruiser, a 2010 Dodge Charger.

As he approached a Sheetz convenience store, the complaint says Leatherman observed a vehicle of an unspecified make and model pull out of the parking lot, spin its tires and begin to head northbound on U.S. 220. Upon observing this, Leatherman first pulled his vehicle onto the southbound shoulder before doing a U-turn to pursue the vehicle, the complaint says.

In the course of pursuing the vehicle, he came into the lane in which Steyer was driving, the complaint says. Despite applying the brakes on his motorcycle to avoid it, Steyer claims Leatherman’s turn was so abrupt he could not avoid making a collision with the cruiser.

Though he does not provide specifics, Steyer says the impact between his motorcycle and Leatherman’s car was so great that it caused him “severe and permanent injuries.” Those injuries, he says, have resulted in him being “unable to perform many of the tasks in his home that he previously could perform.”

In his suit, Steyer seeks unspecified damages, interest, court costs and attorneys fees. He is represented by William C. Brewer and J. Tyler Slavey with the Morgantown law firm of Brewer Giggenbach.

The case is assigned to Judge Lynn A. Nelson.

Mineral Circuit Court case number 13-C-89