HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – The Horry County Police Department wants a wrongful death lawsuit over a deadly June crash on the beach dismissed.

HCPD claims it was not the direct cause of the crash that killed 66-year-old Sandy Schultz-Peters in documents filed last week.

The documents are in response to the estate of Schultz-Peters’ lawsuit against the agency.

That lawsuit claims Lcpl. Julian “Duke” Brown got distracted after pulling onto the Nash Street Public Beach Access on June 13 and ran over Schultz-Peters while she was sitting on the beach.

Along with it being a clear day, Brown’s vision was not blocked, and he wasn’t responding to an emergency, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in late June.

Brown, driving a full-sized 2020 Ford Ranger beach patrol truck, had every chance to see Schultz-Peters on the beach but got distracted and chose to drive on the beach without checking for people and objects, the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit also mentions Brown previously ran over a person’s items on the beach before the deadly crash.

HCPD did know or should have known about the previous incident, the lawsuit states.

Schultz-Peters’ family is accusing HCPD of gross negligence, negligent supervision, training and retention and wrongful death.

In HCPD’s response, the agency denied all of these accusations and wants the judge to dismiss the lawsuit and award them attorney fees.

Meanwhile, Schultz-Peters’ family is looking for an award that exceeds $100,000, and they are requesting a jury trial.

While the family’s wrongful death lawsuit mentions Brown, the only defendant in the suit is HCPD.

Brown retired on July 26. He served as HCPD’s beach safety director.

The full response from HCPD can be viewed below:

Copyright 2024 WMBF. All rights reserved.