A lawsuit against the City of Columbia and a Columbia Police Department officer was filed last Wednesday in Monroe County Circuit Court.

Court documents filed on behalf of Carole Neff of Columbia allege CPD officer Tyler McWhorter is responsible for injuries sustained by Neff during a July 11, 2024, traffic crash.

Neff is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 each for two counts of negligence, one against McWhorter and the other against the City of Columbia as the agency responsible for McWhorter’s actions during his course of employment.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, which investigated the crash, said a 2018 Ford Explorer police unit driven by McWhorter was stopped in the left turn lane from Route 3 southbound to Veterans Parkway behind a white vehicle he was preparing to pull over. 

A 2018 Jeep Compass driven by 81-year-old Neff was traveling northbound on Route 3 and collided with the police unit.

Upon viewing camera surveillance footage, the MCSD said the Jeep Compass collided with the passenger side of the police vehicle in the middle of the intersection. Upon contact, the police unit was spun around several times and came to rest in the lane of travel on Veterans Parkway facing west. The rear end of the police vehicle made contact with the front end of a 2019 Buick Enclave driven by Elizabeth Thoman, 71, of Edwardsville, which was stopped at the stop light facing west. 

Neff and McWhorter were both transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County for treatment of possible injuries.

A case management conference is scheduled for Aug. 11 in Monroe County Court.