A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a former Mobile police officer following a 2024 wreck that left a motorcyclist dead.

The lawsuit names Roy Lee Adams Jr. and the City of Mobile as defendants. The complaint was filed by Rebecca Howard as personal representative estate of Sumner Howard.

On July 9, 2024, Sumner and Adams were involved in a wreck that occurred at about 11 p.m. as Adams was driving on Mobile Infirmary Boulevard toward Kenneth Street.

Adams pulled up to an intersection as the light was red but proceeded to turn on his emergency blue lights and go through the red light. Adams was going about 20 miles per hour.

Sumner was heading westbound on Old Shell Road and had a green light as he arrived at the intersection.

As Sumner was going through the light he crashed into the back of Adams’s vehicle and would die several weeks later from his injuries.

The lawsuit alleges that Adams “negligently operated a motor vehicle” and “proximately caused the death of Sumner.”

Adams resigned from the Mobile Police Department in April prior to being charged with vehicular homicide. He turned himself into authorities in May.

The complaint states that the City of Mobile is liable for Adams’s actions due to him being employed as a police officer.

The suit also accuses the city of negligently allowing an “unfit” Adams to operate a vehicle and claim his training and hiring were negligent.

“Plaintiff, Rebecca Han Howard, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Sumner Han Howard, deceased, further alleges that the Defendant, City of Mobile through its Police Department, negligently and/or wantonly employed, trained and/or supervised the Defendant, Roy Lee Adams Jr., and as a result ultimately led to the actions that caused the death of Sumner Han Howard,” the lawsuit states.

AL.com contacted the City of Mobile for comment but the city’s media relations manager, Dale Liesch, said they do not comment on pending litigation.

Rebecca demands a trial by a struck jury and seeks punitive damages as provided by wrongful death claims under Alabama law.