‘I can’t stay under the radar’: Deputy driving 97 mph in a 50 mph zone without lights and siren on killed Vietnam war veteran while responding to school fight

A Florida widow is preparing to go to trial this week in a civil lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, alleging the department is “vicariously liable” for a deputy-involved crash that killed her 74-year-old husband.

Pamela Martin claims her husband, Michael Keen—a Vietnam War veteran and retired commercial truck driver—died following a collision caused by Deputy Devin S. Wooden, who she says was driving recklessly at the time. According to the lawsuit, Wooden was traveling at roughly 97 mph in a 50 mph zone around 7:30 a.m., without activating his emergency lights or sirens, while responding to a school bus fight.

“This was not a life-threatening situation,” said attorney John Castro, representing Martin. “Do you think most people would have gotten away with that if they hit someone at 97 miles an hour?”

Martin told local ABC affiliate WFTS that her husband passed away a week after being hospitalized from the February 26, 2021, crash. “They removed his life support and within an hour he was gone,” she said. “Why would they allow deputies to go nearly double the speed limit on a surface road at that hour when there are other people on the road?”

Court filings allege that Wooden, driving a 2015 Dodge Charger patrol car, collided with Keen’s eastbound 1996 Toyota T100 pickup as he attempted to turn left onto Currie Davis Drive. The crash reportedly caused “serious damage” to Keen’s truck and “violently impacted” his body.

The complaint notes that surveillance footage shows Keen waiting for traffic to clear, while black box data indicates Wooden was traveling close to 100 mph at the time of impact. Body camera audio obtained by WFTS reportedly features Wooden saying at the crash scene, “I can’t stay under the radar to save my life.”

“They always say to serve and protect. They didn’t serve Michael, and they didn’t protect him,” Martin said. “If he’d only been going 70 miles an hour… we wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

The sheriff’s office, however, disputes the claims, arguing that Keen was negligent and partially or entirely responsible for the crash. Court filings indicate the department has suggested multiple theories, including that Keen was not wearing a seat belt—a claim Castro denies. Castro’s filings also point out that Deputy Wooden was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and that he did not face any charges or disciplinary action.

“Now, on the eve of trial, the defendant seeks to introduce entirely new defenses, including allegations about Toyota’s vehicle safety,” Castro wrote in an October 27 court filing.

Jury selection for the case was scheduled to begin Monday.

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