North Carolina man was killed in crash with an Horry officer. Family seeks justice in court
The family of a North Carolina man killed in a crash involving an Horry County Police officer in 2021 is suing the department.
Marcus “Mark” Gattis, 58, died June 27, 2021, after a collision with Horry County Police Sgt. Justin Jones just outside Loris.
According to a crash report from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, the wreck happened at about 11:30 p.m. when Gattis, driving a 1996 GMC pickup truck, made a right turn off of Seconday 66 to head south on South Carolina 9.
Jones, driving a 2021 Ford Explorer police car, was going upward of 119 mph in a 60 mph zone with police sirens activated. He struck Gattis’ car on the driver side, causing the car to hit a ditch and catch fire.
Gattis caused the wreck by driving under the influence of alcohol and did not yield to Jones’ right of way, according to the crash report. Gattis was going 15 mph.
Gattis was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. An autopsy revealed thermal injuries, extreme fractures, foot amputation and an epidural hemorrhage, the lawsuit says. Jones was transported to a nearby hospital for minor injuries.
The wrongful death lawsuit filed June 26 claims that Jones violated the law by going well over the speed limit without justification. It’s unclear what led to Jones activating the vehicle’s police lights.
South Carolina was recently ranked as the top state for traffic fatalities related to speeding in a Forbes Advisor report. The report examined how many auto accident fatalities were a result of speeding from 2010-2020 using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Jones has been employed with the police department since 2006, according to public records. It’s unclear if any disciplinary action was taken involving the accident.
The Sun News reached out to Mikayla Moskov, the Horry County Police Department spokesperson, but did not receive a response by publication.
The Sun News reached out to the family’s attorney for a comment Wednesday morning but did not receive a response.
The police department has not yet responded to the lawsuit.