BOARDMAN Family sues township, cop in fatal car collision

A grand jury found no criminal culpability on the officer's part.
BOARDMAN -- The family of a young township man killed in a collision with a police car has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the township and the officer involved in the accident.
The suit was filed Wednesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on behalf of Steven Memmer, who was killed Feb. 1 when his car was broadsided by Patrolman Jack Cochran's.
The family is seeking $15 million in damages.
What happened: According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which investigated the crash, Cochran was on his way to the 6000 block of Glenridge Avenue in response to a burglary call. Memmer was on his way home from work.
Memmer turned his Honda into the driveway of his Southern Boulevard apartment as Cochran was passing him from behind.
The suit contends Cochran acted in reckless and wanton disregard for both human life and the rights and safety of others by operating his cruiser in excess of twice the posted speed limit.
OSP investigators estimated that the cruiser was moving at 76 mph and Memmer about 6 mph at impact.
Policy criticized: The suit also says the township recklessly maintains a policy that jeopardizes innocent lives, failing to establish rules of safe operation for motor vehicles, failing to adequately train police officers and permitting an officer to respond to a call at an unreasonable rate of speed and travel in the wrong lane.
A Mahoning County grand jury determined in late February that there was no criminal culpability on the part of Cochran.