MONROE COUNTY, Tennessee — A high speed chase in Monroe County in August 2020 killed a man and seriously injured his wife.
It happened after midnight as a Monroe County deputy chased a speeding vehicle. The chase started on Highway 411 and continued for several minutes with speeds reaching 128 miles per hour.
It ended several miles away on State Route 72.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said the suspect, 21-year-old Joey Miller, ran away after crashing into a truck. The passenger inside the truck, Joe Moses, later died after officials said he was thrown from the vehicle.
His wife, Sierra Moses, was in the truck and survived -- but lost her arm. She has filed a lawsuit against the suspect and deputy involved for not calling off the dangerous chase.
Moses said she doesn't remember much from the early hours of August 10, 2020.
"I remember us leaving the gas station and driving down 72 and I remember slowing down to turn," she said.
Joe was with her in the passenger seat.
Nearby was Miller fleeing from Corporal Brian Milsapps. A report shows the deputy was trying to issue a warning for speeding.
But within minutes, the chase rose to tremendous speeds. The max speed was 128 miles per hour, according to attorney T. Scott Jones.
"You are placing your life as an officer at risk, the individual you’re chasing at risk and you’re placing members of the general public at risk," said Jones.
Jones has filed a lawsuit in the case in Monroe County on Sierra Moses' behalf seeking damages against Monroe County authorities.
Several minutes after the crash, body camera video showed the aftermath. Moses was screaming for help while Joe lay on the road after being thrown from the truck. He asked multiple times where his wife is in the video.
As deputies begin searching for the suspect, you can also hear Milsapps say he almost called off the chase, "Before I could call it off, there was a truck turning and he hit it."
In his report, Milsapps also said, "I had began to reduce my speed and was preparing to terminate the pursuit."
But the damage had already been done, and Moses' life was changed forever.
"He lost his life and I lost my career," she said.
She lost her arm, which had to be amputated. Joe died days later in the hospital.
"I just thought Joe was going to be with me through all of that. So it was really, really rough once he passed away knowing I had to go through that alone," said Moses. "Hold your loved ones closer because you don't even know what could happen."
Jones said the crash was preventable.
"He's a 20 plus year officer and ought to have known better," he said. "To pursue at 128 miles per hour at night on a two lane road."
He hopes to get justice for Moses and change training and policy so no other lives will be lost.
"If he'd acted upon his judgement and his training then we wouldn't be here," said Jones.
The suspect was found days later and taken into custody.
10News reached out for a statement from the Sheriff's Office. The attorney representing the corporal was unable to comment.