Insurance company sues Roger Self after crashing into Surf & Turf Lodge, killing family members

In a social media post, The Surf & Turf Lodge said it’s not directly involved in the lawsuit and won’t benefit financially from it.

BESSEMER CITY, N.C. — A Wisconsin-based insurance company is suing Roger Self for more than $165,000 in damages after he intentionally drove his car into the Surf & Turf Lodge, killing his daughter and daughter-in-law.

General Casualty Company of Wisconsin accused Self of negligence, and it’s seeking to recoup the same amount of money it paid to the Bessemer City restaurant for repairs and lost business revenue.

Self is serving a nearly 40-year prison sentence after entering an Alford plea for killing his daughter, Gaston County Sheriff’s Deputy Katelyn Self, and his daughter-in-law, Amanda Self, an emergency department nurse at CaroMont Regional Medical Center.

In a Facebook post, the Surf and Turf Lodge described the insurance company as “seeking retribution,” and it emphasized, “the business will not benefit from any judgments that are made as a result of this lawsuit.”

Dear Valued customers and community,
Due to the incredibly insensitive tactics of the Gaston Gazette I would like to…

Posted by The Surf and Turf Lodge Est. 2006 Offical Page on Thursday, July 8, 2021

The Self family came to the restaurant on May 20, 2018, after attending Sunday services at Venture Church in Dallas.

At the time, Self said he was dealing with mental health issues. In court, he admitted to leaving his family at the table, getting into his Jeep, and intentionally driving into the restaurant.

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In addition to killing his daughter and daughter-in-law, Self injured several other family members, including his wife and his son, a Gaston County Police Department school resource officer.

In the complaint, General Casualty Company of Wisconsin asserted Self “…had a duty to act reasonably as an operator of a motor vehicle,” but the company said, “As a result of Mr. Self’s negligent conduct, General Casualty has suffered property damages, business interruption damages, and other pecuniary losses.”

The company said the $165,425.39 losses it paid out included $62,419.73 for building repairs, $2,147.08 for food inventory loss, and $34,343.00 in business interruption loss.

WCNC Charlotte reached out to the Self family for a comment, but the family didn’t respond back.

Contact Brandon Golder at bgoldner@wcnc.com and follow him on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

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