Police accident report clearly illustrates cause of most common motorcycle/car crashes

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Unless you’ve been in an accident you’ve probably never seen an official Ohio Highway Patrol Accident Report. The members of the Betras Kopp legal team study hundreds of them every year.

We’re sharing this OHP report about a wreck involving a motorcycle and two cars that occurred on May 10, 2025 in North Lima because it clearly illustrates what causes one of the most common types of motorcycle wrecks. The report’s narrative and drawing tells the story:

NARRATIVE

Unit 1 was traveling northbound on SR 7 in the left turn lane. Unit 2 was southbound on SR 7 in the left lane. Unit 3 was northbound on SR 7 in the left lane. Unit 1 turned west into the path of Unit 2 and was struck by Unit 2. The operator of Unit 2 was ejected onto the road into the path of Unit 3 and was struck by Unit 3

Unit 2 was a Honda motorcycle ridden by 24-year-old Josh Jetomo of Boardman. He sustained serious injuries in the crash. He was life-flighted to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown and was in critical condition.

Unit 1 was a Silverado pickup truck driven by Ralph Ridgeway. Unit 3 was a Subaru Forester operated by Sarah Guthrie.

We’ve posted safety tips for car and truck drivers on our website and social media channels in conjunction with our observance of  Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month. Today, we’re linking to a fascinating video produced by a motorcyclist who shares advice bikers can use to avoid or prevent the most common accidents in real-time as he rides. The video opens with his take on how to avoid the danger caused by drivers who make left turns in front of riders.

You can watch here: https://youtu.be/qRsCbWI5SAo?si=emOEMLcBAKHIwc6J   We urge you to take a look at the video and we’ll focus on other parts of this fascinating and important presentation as Motorcycle Safety Month rolls on.

Ohio General Assembly considers new legislation dealing with dangerous dogs irresponsible owners

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Avery Russell, 11, of Columbus is rebuilding her life after a traumatic attack by two pit bulls on June 11, 2024. Surgeons at Nationwide Children’s Hospital performed a nine hour emergency surgery just after the attack. Photo by Barbara J. Perenis of the Columbus Dispatch.

As we noted when we reprinted the USA Today Ohio News Network series “VICIOUS: An investigation into how Ohio laws fail thousands of dog attack victims,” the laws related to dog bites and attacks and are woefully inadequate and put us all at risk of suffering the types of debilitating, disfiguring injuries sustained by 11-year-old Avery Russel who was attacked by two pit bulls.  During the attack the dogs chewed off most of Avery’s ears, ripped into her nose, left a huge gouge above her left eye and punctured her forehead and shoulder. Her face, one doctor said, looked like ground hamburger.

Despite all the damage, the dogs’ owners face only misdemeanor charges.

Fortunately, some member of the Ohio General Assembly are taking action. According to the following report from the Gongwer Statehouse News Service, three bills designed to strengthen Ohio’s dog attack laws have just been introduced in the Ohio House. One, HB 240 which is sponsored by Rep. Meredith Lawson-Rowe (D-Reynoldsburg), is named “Avery’s Law.”  In addition to the three bills already in the hopper, State Rep. Phil Plummer of Dayton plans to introduce a fourth in the near future.

We’ll provide updates as the legislation makes its way through the Gneral Assembly and, when the time comes, we’ll ask our readers to contact our state reps and senators and urge them to support the bills. We want to commend the sponsors of the legislation for taking positive steps to protect our families–especially our children–and hold irresponsible owners accountable for their actions. Here’s the Gongwer report:

Dangerous dogs were a topic of discussion for a House panel Tuesday.

The House Public Safety Committee  fielded testimony on three bills addressing the issue.

One measure redefines what constitutes a nuisance, dangerous and vicious dog (HB 247 ).

Sponsoring Rep. Kevin Miller (R-Newark) said the need for the bill was brought to his attention by the dog warden of Licking County.

He explained that the changes in law in his bill pertain only to unprovoked attacks.

“Dogs that act in defense of themselves, their owners, or their property are explicitly protected under this bill. The intent is not to punish responsible owners or protective dogs,” he said. “Conversely this legislation aims to address cases of negligence where irresponsible owners of dangerous and vicious dogs fail to keep their animals from harming the public.”

Miller told the panel the bill provides the local dog warden the power to seize a dog immediately following an attack in which a victim is killed or seriously injured.

He said it will also hold irresponsible dog owners accountable when they fail to control dogs already designated as dangerous or vicious.

“Penalties for these individuals have been increased to better reflect the seriousness of their negligence,” he said. “Basically, these individuals have previously been put on notice they possess an extremely malicious animal but continue to fail to ensure the safety of the public. This is simply not acceptable. In the most severe cases of a serious injury or death, the penalty will raise from a felony of the fourth to a third-degree felony.”

After Rep. Haraz Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) revealed that he was attacked by two German Shepherds last year while campaigning, Rep. Juantia Brent (D-Cleveland) questioned whether the bill would cover his situation since he was on someone else’s property.

Miller said it would require a probable cause hearing to determine whether the attack was unprovoked.

The other bills are sponsored by Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) and Rep. Meredith Lawson-Rowe (D-Reynoldsburg).

One (HB 240 ) was inspired by a 2024 dog attack in Reynoldsburg that left a 12-year-old severely injured.

Lawson-Rowe told the panel the two pit bulls had attacked before, but their owner failed to report the previous incident.

Among the changes in the bill, it would require an owner to report an attack within 24 hours.

“Cities across the state have created ordinances regulating dogs and increasing penalties for owners of dogs who attack or even kill humans and other animals. It’s time that we as a state do the same,” she said. “Again, it is our hope that we can use House Bill 240, Avery’s Law, to strengthen our dog laws statewide and to give families who go through these tragic incidents, adequate legal recourse.”

Thomas said the bill will help to ensure that repeat-offender dogs and negligent owners can no longer slip through the legal cracks.

“Importantly, this legislation does not target any one breed. It targets behavior – and the responsibility of those who own dogs,” he said. “Responsible dog owners who properly train, contain, and care for their pets will have nothing to fear under this bill. But those who neglect or conceal their dog’s violent history must be held to account – because the cost of doing nothing is simply too high.”

Their other piece of legislation requires a dog to be held for a 10-day quarantine period following an attack in which the dog injures, seriously injures or kills a person and mandates a court hearing to determine the animal’s disposition (HB 241 ).

Thomas said that after a recent dog attack in his district, the animal was allowed to remain in its home under current state law.

“Ten days later, nothing had changed,” he said. “The owners were under no legal obligation to surrender the dogs. The victims, meanwhile, were left to live in fear.”

Lawson-Rowe echoed that sentiment.

“Victims and families of victims should not have to worry about a dog who has attacked already being left at home to possibly attack again,” she said. “This bill would close this loophole and would create due process for all parties involved.”

Rep. Thomas Hall (R-Middletown) asked why there are three separate bills addressing the same issue.

“We are all attempting to accomplish the same effort here,” Thomas responded.

Rep. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) noted he is working on a fourth, more expansive bill that would touch on other areas of animal care.

In defense of the rule of law – reflections for Law Day: Michael P. Donnelly

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This opinion piece by former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael P. Donnelly, who we are proud to say was a guest on our Legally Speaking podcast, appeared in the May 1, 2025 edition of cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer. We are pleased and proud to reprint and share it:

Former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael P. Donnelly

There’s a moment in the film, “A Few Good Men,” released the same year I became a lawyer, that captures the tension at the heart of our democracy. Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway, played by Demi Moore, and the defense team are defending two Marines accused of murder. In one exchange, her co-counsel, troubled by the prospect of defending them, asks, “Why do you like them so much?” Galloway answers, “Because they stand on a wall and say, ‘Nothing’s going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.’”

This scene reflects a reality in our system of justice: the competing imperatives of protecting society and ensuring that the rights of the accused are protected. The film portrays a government that attempts to obscure the truth in favor of a convenient narrative. The film highlights the cornerstone of our criminal justice system: that it is the government’s burden to prove the truth beyond a reasonable doubt. That principle is what shields the innocent, holds power accountable, and ensures fairness in every courtroom.

Ohio attorney Dennis Lieberman shared with me his account of a visit to China on a legal exchange. He observed a murder trial with no witnesses called, no opportunity to cross-examine, and no jury — only several officials serving as the sole deciders. If convicted, the defendant would face execution the next day. When the lawyer asked whether the verdict could be appealed, the response was chilling: “Yes — after the sentence is carried out.”

Regardless of political leanings, most Americans would find such a process unthinkable. Because, in our system, the individual — not the state — is the center of justice. We believe in due process. We believe in confronting accusers and being judged by one’s peers. These are not formalities; they are the lifeblood of liberty.

During my time on the Supreme Court of Ohio, I often reflected on a quote from Cicero that hung in our cloakroom: “We remain in bondage to the law in order to be free.” It’s a paradox that defines our democracy. And it’s not always easy.
I recall reviewing a cold case involving a brutal attack on a woman who miraculously survived. Decades later, DNA identified her attacker. He was tried and sentenced. Tragically, the crime was barred by the applicable statute of limitations. As difficult as it was, my colleagues and I unanimously decided we were duty bound to reverse the conviction. The law is the law. In response, the legislature closed that loophole — an evolution made possible by adherence to due process, not its abandonment.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower created Law Day. It speaks volumes that a decorated U.S. Army general chose to honor not weaponry, but the rule of law. He knew that our strength lies in our ideals, in our shared agreement to be governed by laws, not by force.

We now find ourselves amid what many experts describe as a full-blown constitutional crisis. The institutions that have anchored our democracy for generations are under strain, and the guardrails that once felt immovable now seem vulnerable. We live in a time of extraordinary division, where trust in government, in elections, and even in the rule of law itself is being tested like never before.

And yet, across the country, lawyers continue to hold the line. They do not wear armor or bear arms. Instead, they rise in courtrooms, draft legal arguments, protect civil liberties, and insist that due process be observed. Their work is often thankless — but it is essential to the preservation of our republic.
Let this Law Day be a call to courage. A moment to renew our shared commitment to liberty, justice, and the rule of law.