Former trooper wins civil suit from 2012 crash

KENAI A former Alaska State Trooper who was involved in two major accidents was found not responsible for the harm caused to him by the first crash in February 2012.

Thad Hamilton had been responding to an late night domestic violence call in Nikiski when his 2009 Dodge Charger collided with a 2003 Dodge pickup driven by Rodney Peterkin, a Soldotna resident who was 42 at the time. The men were both driving northbound, and Peterkin made a left turn as Hamilton attempted to pass him, according to a complaint filed by Hamilton’s attorneys.

Hamilton’s civil case against Peterkin was originally assigned in 2014, and the case was disposed last week after a trial in superior court, according to online court records. In a complaint filed in August 2015 against both Peterkin and the driver involved in Hamilton’s other accident in 2015, Hamilton and his attorneys claimed that Peterkin “failed to keep a proper look out,” and “operated his motor vehicle in a distracted manner.”

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• Megan Pacer is a reporter at the Peninsula Clarion and can be reached at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.


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