Fatal Ohio Big-Rig Crash Results in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Vijayi Emani, a leading activist, spokesperson, and organizer in Cleveland’s rapidly growing Indian- American community, was involved in a car wreck on the Ohio Turnpike in January 2009. As she was walking near the guardrail to inspect the damage to the vehicles, she was struck and killed by a big-rig truck owned by regional freight company Con-Way Trucking. The driver of the truck, Matthew Smith, divulged to police that the windshield of his truck had been obscured by road salt and debris for approximately five miles before he struck and killed Emani. Speculation has been intense over why Smith continued to operate the vehicle with an obscured view after learning that he was out of windshield wiper fluid, but some industry experts say that commercial truck drivers are often under severe pressure to log as many miles as possible each day, to the point that some are loathe to stop to perform routine maintenance tasks. Matthew Smith is facing criminal charges in the case, and both Smith and Con-Way Trucking are named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Emani’s surviving family members.

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