Family of man run over by ex-trooper plans civil suit

PHOTOGRAPHER: Bethany Bump

The family of Chad Finch is filing a wrongful death suit against the former state trooper whom a grand jury declined to indict on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident.

Less than a week after a grand jury dismissed the charge against Brian Beardsley, who fatally hit 29-year-old Finch with his truck in the early morning of May 22, lawyers are readying litigation that would hold Beardsley liable for the death of Finch.

Lisa Chamberlain, the mother of Finch’s 10-year-old son, Chad Finch Jr., met with her lawyers today to pursue a personal injury lawsuit in the name of her son and Finch’s 7-year-old daughter, Alexia Finch.

“Obviously the claim will be one for wrongful death,” said Attorney Robert Bruschini. “Whether there will also be a negligence claim, probably, but I haven’t styled the complaint yet.”

Authorities determined that Finch was lying on County Highway 110 at 2:40 a.m. May 22 when Beardsley ran over him — and, according to an autopsy, killed him — with his pickup truck. Beardsley’s girlfriend called police to report that there was a body on the side of the roadway, but when police arrived, no vehicles were on the scene.

After a three-day proceeding, the grand jury on Friday dismissed the charge against Beardsley, 32, of Amsterdam, for leaving the scene of a fatal accident, under the state’s Vehicle and Traffic Law.

Now that the criminal investigation is officially closed with the grand jury’s decision, Finch’s family is free to pursue civil lawsuits against Beardsley if they wish, said Bruschini.

For more on the story, see Friday’s print and online editions of The Gazette.