Anderson Speedway attorney argues against track death lawsuit

Anderson Speedway's attorney has asked a judge to grant summary judgment in a lawsuit accusing the track's owners of negligence in a driver's death in a 2011 crash.

Attorney Leslie Pollie made the request Thursday in a Madison County court hearing on Kathy Mefford's lawsuit.

Her late husband, 49-year-old William Mefford, died in May 2011 from injuries he suffered when his car slammed into a track retaining wall during a race.

The Herald Bulletin reports Kathy Mefford's attorney opposed summary judgment because it would effectively lead to a dismissal of her case.

The suit against the track's corporate body alleges "gross negligence" in William Mefford's death, and that a compression barrier on the track's third turn wasn't filled with an energy-absorbing foam.