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Ashtabula driver in crash that killed YFD battalion chief to face charges
By JOE GORMAN
ASHTABULA
The driver of the van that collided with a motorcycle driven by Youngstown Fire Department Battalion Chief Ronald Russo will be charged with vehicular manslaughter and failure to yield.
Josephine Palmer, 48, of Northfield, will be arraigned on the charges at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8 in Ashtabula Municipal Court. The vehicular-manslaughter charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.
Russo, 64, of Poland, was riding a motorcycle when it struck a van at the intersection of state Route 45 and North Bend Road in Saybrook Township at 12:51 p.m. Oct. 20. Russo was riding with his brother Bob at the time he was fatally injured.
Lt. Bret Henderson, commander of the Ashtabula post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said it appears Palmer was behind a few vehicles at a stop sign at the intersection. For whatever reason, she was not paying attention when it was her turn to go through the intersection and did not come to a complete stop before going through, he said.
Henderson also said Palmer was not speeding at the time of the crash.
Henderson said there was no evidence to show Palmer may have been using a cellphone at the time of the accident. He said Palmer was using the GPS system on her phone, but the phone was placed somewhere where she could see it. Other people in the van also told investigators Henderson was not on the phone.
The charges were filed after consultation with the city solicitor in Ashtabula, Henderson said. The vehicular-manslaughter charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail if Palmer is convicted.
Russo was a member of the fire department for 37 years. His calling hours and funeral service the next day attracted thousands of mourners, including firefighters from across the region.