A Florida widow is preparing for trial in a civil lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, arguing that it should be held responsible for a deputy-involved crash that killed her 74-year-old husband. Pamela Martin’s husband, Michael Keen, a Vietnam veteran and retired truck driver, died a week after being hospitalized following a February 2021 collision. Martin claims the sheriff’s office is liable because the deputy, Devin S. Wooden, was allegedly driving 97 mph in a 50 mph zone without lights or sirens while responding to a non-emergency school bus fight.
According to the lawsuit, Keen was attempting to turn left onto Currie Davis Drive from State Road 60 when Wooden’s patrol car hit the side of his pickup truck at nearly 100 mph, pinning the vehicle against a utility pole. The complaint alleges Wooden was negligent and failed to observe Keen’s truck before crashing into it. Surveillance video from a nearby dealership reportedly shows Keen waiting for traffic to clear, while black box data confirms Wooden’s speed. Body camera audio allegedly captured Wooden saying, “I can’t stay under the radar to save my life,” at the scene.
Martin’s attorney, John Castro, argues that the deputy’s excessive speed on a surface road was unjustified and that the sheriff’s office should be held accountable. He says the crash would not have been fatal had Wooden been driving at a more reasonable speed. Martin says she cannot understand why deputies would be permitted to drive nearly twice the speed limit during a routine call.
Attorneys representing the sheriff’s office contend that Keen himself was at fault, arguing he acted negligently and may not have been wearing a seat belt. Castro disputes those claims and accuses the defense of shifting theories, including an attempt—just before trial—to argue that Keen’s decades-old Toyota truck did not meet modern safety standards. Court records indicate that it was actually Wooden who was not wearing a seat belt, according to the initial crash report. Wooden faced no charges or discipline related to the incident.
Jury selection was set to begin on Monday as the civil trial moves forward.
