The family of a Standish man has filed a notice of claim against the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office in the aftermath of a high-speed chase and motorcycle crash last summer.

Patrick Smith, 47, died eight days after the accident in Buxton on July 12, 2008.

The notice of claim basically reserves the family's right to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the county within the next six months. But the family's lawyer, Harry Center, said he needs access to police records before he can determine whether a lawsuit is warranted. Center says the sheriff's office has refused to release some records relating to the chase and crash. He has filed a separate lawsuit at Cumberland County Superior Court, seeking the release of those records.

Patricia Dunn, the lawyer for the county, said some of the information requested by the family has already been released to Center. Other documents -- such as the county's internal report on the incident and an audio recording of emergency radio communications -- are confidential under state law, Dunn said.

The next step is for the parties to submit legal briefs. It will then be up to a judge at Cumberland County Superior Court to determine which side is correct.

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