Parents file suit in crash

Johnny Mitchell also faces criminal charges as a result of the crash.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Parents of two women who died in a one-car crash nearly two years ago have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver and the car's owner.
The suit was filed Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court by Karen Harper of Liberty, mother of Latosha Harper; Corey Pugh of Youngstown, father of Latay Pugh; and Kendra Harper of Youngstown, mother of Yazmeen Green.
Defendants are Johnny Mitchell Sr., 35, of Green Acres Drive, Liberty, and Buckeye Auto Mart of Brookfield, which sells and rents cars.
Latosha Harper, Latay Pugh and Yazmeen Green were passengers in a 2000 Chevrolet Lumina that Mitchell was driving July 8, 2004. The car went off the road on Glenwood Avenue near Kenmore Avenue on the city's South Side and hit a tree. Harper and Pugh were killed. Yazmeen, who was 5 at the time of the accident, and Mitchell were injured.
Indicted
A Mahoning County grand jury indicted Mitchell in October 2004 on three counts of child endangering, two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one count of aggravated vehicular assault. His trial is pending before Judge Maureen A. Sweeney.
Karen Harper and Corey Pugh say Mitchell caused the accident. They are seeking unspecified amounts of money for medical and funeral bills, loss of companionship and mental anguish.
Kendra Harper also seeks unspecified damages for Yazmeen's medical bills.
Buckeye Auto Mart and Benjamin Bashara, whose relationship to the car dealership is unknown, also are named in the suit as owners or co-owners of the car that Mitchell was driving. Buckeye Auto Mart and Bashara negligently entrusted the vehicle to Mitchell, who had a propensity for negligent driving, the suit states.
Empire Fire and Marine Insurance Co. of Omaha, Neb., is named in the suit for failing to pay the plaintiffs' claims under uninsured motorist policy provisions within the car insurance policy held by Buckeye Auto Mart.
The parents also want a judge to decide if Ohio Job & amp; Family Services has a right to reimbursement on medical bills the agency paid as their health-insurance provider.