Ohio National Guard’s negligence led to crash that killed man, son, suit says
unfortunate accident, but Instead, the convoy ting these large military vehirather was “caused by the headed east Saturday after- cles on civilian roadways, Army National Guard’s lead- noon and drove in a rain often with sleep-deprived CLEVELAND — The Ohio ership and planning fail- storm. The crash happened soldiers,” said Tom MerNational Guard faces two ures,” Bargar’s lawsuit says. shortly after 6 p.m., the lawriman, an attorney reprelawsuits over a crash involvJohn Reagan, an attorney suit states. senting Bargar’s estate. “It ing one of its Humvees that for Brittany Bentley, said A school bus pulled in may make sense for combat, killed a Berea man and his that “the irony in this whole front of the Humvee and Taybut not for civilian roadway 6-year-old son in Septem- thing is that the National lor swerved into the oppo- when people are out with ber 2016. Guard is supposed to prosite line and sideswiped a car their kids.”
The lawsuits, recently filed tect the public.” He said the driven by Lisa Mancini, even Bargar is survived by his in federal court in Cleveland, crash has been devastating though Taylor had plenty of four children. say the U.S. government is for his client. time to slow down to avoid National Guard spokesliable because Pfc. Jeremy Bargar’s estate’s lawsuit the bus, the lawsuit states. woman Stephanie Beougher Taylor was sleep deprived says Taylor arrived at the He then hit Bargar’s car. said attorneys had not yet and inexperienced when he Newton Falls Armory at 8 The lawsuit says Taylor received summonses for veered left of center on Ohio a.m. Sept. 9, 2016. Lights had been awake for at least the lawsuits. She said the 14 in Ravenna Township. out for the soldiers that night 15 hours by the time the crash National Guard does not
Taylor first hit an oncom- was at midnight. happened. It says investigacomment on pending litiing car and then slammed Taylor and other soldiers tors found empty energy gation. head-on into a car driven awoke at 3 a.m. Sept. 10, drink cans inside the HumMancini, the driver in the by Brian Bargar, a lawsuit 2016. They left Newton Falls vee. car Taylor sideswiped, is filed this week by Bargar’s an hour and a half later in The Army’s accident safety also expected to soon file estate says. a four-vehicle convoy for investigation unit cited mulsuit, Reagan said. A phone
Bargar, 34, and his son, Camp Perry, near Port Clin- tiple instances of leadership call left for her attorney was Wyatt Bentley, died in the ton. Taylor drove one of the failure, which included allownot immediately returned. crash. Humvees, the suit states. ing Taylor just three hours
Brittany Bentley, Wyatt’s The soldiers trained for of sleep or less before makmother, filed suit on behalf eight hours and were suping him endure a long day of her son’s estate March 27. posed to stay there overof training and having him
Bargar’s estate seeks dam- night and return to Newton drive back, the suit states. ages of more than $19.5 milFalls the next day, according “The biggest public safety lion. Bentley’s estate seeks to the lawsuit. issue is the military is put
$6 million. Both filed claims with the Army but did not hear back within a six-month timeframe.
Taylor, 22, of University
Heights, pleaded guilty in
Portage County Municipal
Court to vehicular homicide and vehicular manslaughter, both misdemeanors. A judge sentenced him in February to a year in jail and suspended all but 60 days of the jail term.
The crash was n ot an