LISBON — A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over the 2023 death of a Hanoverton woman, alleging the fatal crash that ended her life was the result of a man in a stolen vehicle fleeing a deputy in a reckless high speed chase.

Joseph Leone, administrator of the estate of Jennifer Ann Hunley, Crestview Road, Leetonia, and Robert Crozier, custodial parent of Daryn Crozier, Hunley’s minor son, Jacobsburg, filed the complaint in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court against Gerald Jackson, who was sentenced to 15 years nine months in prison for causing Hunley’s death and injuring Daryn, who was also in the vehicle on Aug. 6, 2023.

Also named as defendants were Columbiana County, care of county Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino, Columbiana County Sheriff Brian McLaughlin, Deputy Robert Vukovich who was pursuing Jackson, and Sgt. Brian Deack, his supervisor.

Prosecutors alleged that Jackson was involved in a three-county crime spree when he crashed a stolen Chevy Silverado and hit Hunley’s vehicle head-on, seriously injuring both her and her son, who was 11 at the time. Hunley, who was 47, died from her injuries on Sept. 18, 2023.

The lawsuit made claims of wanton and reckless misconduct not only by Jackson, but also by the Columbiana County employees named in the complaint as defendants.

When contacted for reaction about the lawsuit, McLaughlin said he was aware of it, but had not had a chance to read the document and could not comment. Abruzzino was also aware and could not comment regarding the lawsuit itself, but said the complaint will be reviewed and the county’s liability insurance provider known as CORSA (County Risk Sharing Authority) will be contacted.

Abruzzino said it’s unfortunate in any incident when there’s a loss of life. His office prosecuted Jackson for the fatal crash and related crimes.

According to the lawsuit document, the pursuit began at the property where the Silverado was stolen, when Vukovich was talking with the theft victim and the truck was seen passing the property on U.S. Route 30.

Vukovich started to pursue the stolen vehicle and reported the truck was traveling at high speeds of 80 and 100 mph and it was raining. He was in contact with contact with his superiors during the pursuit. He said the truck blew a stop sign at state Route 172 and was speeding when it turned onto Depot Road, continuing to speed and passing numerous vehicles across a double yellow line. The truck then turned on Winona Road, again at a high speed and eventually crashed on Teegarden Road, smashing into Hunley’s 2021 Subaru.

The lawsuit alleged that “the pursuit was conducted at speeds well in excess of the policy permitted by Columbiana County’s pursuit standards and on roadways that were narrow, twisting, wet and slippery.” The lawsuit also said the there were no reports that the Silverado was traveling at highly excessive speeds prior to the pursuit initiated by Vukovich.

The complaint talked about the county’s pursuit policy and said that the failure to comply with the spirit and letter of that policy by Vukovich, McLaughlin and Deack “reflected a conscious disregard for and complete indifference to the well-being of innocent users of the highway on that day, including Jennifer A. Hunley and her son Daryn.”

Jackson had entered a guilty plea to first-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide, second-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault, third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, fourth-degree felonies of grand theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of receiving stolen property, fifth-degree felony vandalism and misdemeanor operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a drug of abuse or combination of them.

He was sentenced to 10 years for the homicide charge, five years for the assault charge and nine months for the failure to comply charge to be served consecutively for a total of 15 years nine months in prison, with the rest of the sentences for the other charges to be served concurrently, or at the same time. His driver’s license was suspended for life.

The indefinite sentence for the homicide charge includes a possible addition of up to 10 years and the assault charge carries a possible additional indefinite sentence of up to seven and a half years if the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections decides he needs to stay longer than the 15 years nine months.

Prosecutors described what Jackson did on Aug. 6, 2023 as a three-county crime spree, starting in Carroll County when he stole a truck at 1:30 a.m., later in the morning he used that truck to ram a business in Columbiana County. From there, he ended up in New Middletown in Mahoning County where he stole a Lincoln Town Car, and eventually ended up at the property in Hanoverton where he dumped the Town Car and stole a Chevy Silverado, the car he crashed when he crossed the lane and hit the Hunley vehicle.

The lawsuit is seeking damages for the wrongful death claim and for the pain and suffering endured by Hunley between Aug. 6, 2023 and the day she died on Sept. 18, 2023, along with damages for the injuries suffered by Daryn, her son. According to the lawsuit, Hunley’s medical bills exceeded $250,000 and her son’s medical expenses exceeded $70,000.

The case has been assigned to Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Washam, who was also the judge in the criminal case against Jackson.