Trooper Beighle and two bystanders helped pull driver Michael C. Bell, 22, of Springfield, and Christopher N. Burpee, 19, also of Springfield, from the car. The trooper and the two men were treated and released from St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Edgewood. Mr. Bell is now in custody in the Kenton County Jail.
Witnesses said the third passenger was stuck in the Chevy's back seat and could not get out of the burning car. He died inside. Police will not release his name until his family has been notified. The three friends were on their way to a vacation in Florida. "We are very thankful for the safety of those who survived," KSP spokesman Trooper Jan Wuchner said. "This was an incredible crash. It was spectacular. And for Trooper Beighle to be alive and able to help get others out and have them in the hospital is miraculous." Mr. Bell is charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving and attempting to elude an officer.
Saturday's high-speed police chase is the third this week, and the second to end in a fatality. State Police Lt. Kevin Payne said he could not remember the last time a trooper was involved in a fatal chase.
On Monday, an Arlington Heights officer clocked Evanston resident Robert Williams Jr., 17, going 78 mph in a stolen Jeep in a 55 mph zone on Interstate 75 and chased him. About three miles down the highway, within Cincinnati city limits, Mr. Williams lost control of the Jeep, hit a guardrail, flipped and struck a utility pole. He later died.
On Tuesday, a Newport officer reported a man had run a stop sign. The ensuing chase went through Cincinnati and into Clermont County, where he was spotted by Union Township officers. They later found his wrecked truck along the roadside. He was captured on foot.
Trooper Wuchner said Trooper Beighle followed state police procedure and did nothing wrong. Within a city, state police are instructed to stay as close to posted speeds as possible and stop at intersections with stop signs or red lights.
Tristate police officers express conflicting opinions about the merits of such pursuits. Law enforcement officials say officers must weigh which is more important -- catching criminals or the safety of other motorists and pedestrians on the road.
Every department in the Tristate has a chase policy, but some are more restrictive than others. For example, Newport will not enter into a chase unless it involves a felony or life-threatening situation.
State police investigated the scene throughout the day and will continue their investigation of the vehicles. Trooper Beighle's car was equipped with a mounted video camera, but the trooper said it malfunctioned on a previous stop and was not working during the chase.
"The trooper was not familiar with the intersection and could not come to an abrupt halt," Trooper Wuchner said. "Our patrol areas are vast and far and not every trooper knows every road." Trooper Beighle, in his early 20s, works out of Post 6 in Dry Ridge. He's been with the department just over a year. He is a Pendleton County native who joined the state police during his last year at Georgetown College, where he was a physical education major.
Trooper Wuchner recruited Trooper Beighle, who, he said, is a well-trained and courageous young officer he treats as a son. Trooper Beighle usually works specialized traffic patrol, a day-shift job considered an honor because of the hours. On Saturday Trooper Beighle was working overtime under the federal Traffic and Alcohol Patrol program. His job was to patrol for drunk drivers. State police would not allow Trooper Beighle to talk to the media. Here's what he told his supervisors about the chase:
Shortly after 1:30 a.m. at Fourth and Main streets near Mainstrasse Village in Covington, Trooper Beighle saw the car driven by Mr. Bell make an improper lane change. He also observed behavior that indicated Mr. Bell was possibly driving drunk.
Trooper Beighle turned on his lights and sirens and attempted to pull Mr. Bell over. Mr. Bell sped up and continued straight on Fourth Street, under Interstate 75 and onto Crescent Avenue, past Willie's Sports Cafe.
Trooper Aarong Beighle, left, who was driving the chase car, describes the crash to another trooper.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Trooper Beighle pursued the Chevy through Covington, keeping to the speed limit and using caution at stop lights and intersections. Both cars emerged from the Lewisburg neighborhood onto Pike Street near Montague Street and The Livin' End bar.
The cars sped along Pike Street, which becomes Dixie Highway through Park Hills and into Fort Wright. Mr. Bell turned onto Kyles Lane and then onto Highland Pike.
On Highland, he increased his speed again. The road widens into a three-lane highway with a 55-mph limit. Trooper Beighle said Mr. Bell was going well over the speed limit on the curving road that winds down a hill.
At the bottom of the hill, Highland dead-ends into Ky. 17. Skid marks in the intersection show how Mr. Bell's car tried to stop before driving over a dirt mound and falling 30 feet down an embankment near the Banklick Creek.
The anti-lock brakes in Trooper Beighle's cruiser didn't leave skid marks, but he told Trooper Wuchner that his air bag deployed when he hit a bump and then he was free-falling.
Both cars landed upright, out of sight from Ky. 17 or the parking lot of the Super America gas station adjacent to the accident scene. The condition of the wrecked vehicles had police and bystanders wondering how anyone survived the crash. The police cruiser, a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria, was pinched together from both ends, compacted into the size of a Ford Taurus. Its middle was buckled; the trunk was off, the hood was twisted.
The Chevy was burned to a flaky brown crust, its hood stuck straight up. All that was left of the tires was the metal rim and a few shreds of rubber. The rest was melted in the flames.
Firefighters from Fort Wright, Fort Mitchell, Park Hills and Independence put out the fire and cleared brush from the scene. Heavy equipment, flat bed tow trucks, chain saws and a Caterpillar backhoe from Ken's Service towing in Crescent Springs were needed to haul the vehicles out.
The backhoe cleared a path to the cars, which police wrapped in blue tarps to preserve evidence and protect the privacy of the third passenger, whose body remained inside. The Kenton County coroner removed the body and made the official death pronunciation later at an undisclosed location.
It took hours to get the cars back to the road. A constant stream of bystanders gathered to watch. They came because they heard news reports or noticed the police activity as they drove by. Onlookers were repeatedly asked to leave by state police Detective Rodney Ballard.
When the vehicles were pulled out just before 2 p.m., some parents used the scene as a teaching device, pointing to the smashed cars as evidence of what can happen when you drink and drive.
