COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A witness to the deadly April 11 crash on Interstate 71 in Delaware County said the moments after the collision felt “like a movie,” which left him traumatized, and he's now questioning how the semi truck driver involved was allowed on the road. This comes as a lawsuit alleges negligence from the driver and the company he drove for.
Cody Bowling said he was just a couple of cars ahead of the I-71 semi truck crash on April 11 that killed a family of three and injured multiple others.
He said the crash has stayed with him.
“Just thinking about it, I could have been two seconds slower; I would have been one of those cars,” Bowling said.
Bowling detailed that after the crash him and others got out of their cars, trying to aid those injured in the crash. He said he has sought professional help since the crash.
“I don't really talk about it much. I've only personally talked to my psychiatrist that I've currently just got because of this,” he said.
He also said, “I missed a whole week of work because of it,” and described lingering anxiety behind the wheel alongside survivor's guilt: “It's hard to drive now. Get a little pit in my stomach.”
The comments come as a recent lawsuit was filed on behalf of one of the injured victims, Alyssa Harris, and her husband and now caretaker, Nathaniel Harris.
The suit names the semi driver, Modou Ngom, and the company he drove for, alleging negligence.
The lawsuit says the crash caused such extensive injury to Alyssa Harris that she has lost the use of a limb, loss of bodily organ system and injuries that prevent her from being able to independently care for herself, her injuries amounting to a “permanent loss of enjoyment of life.”
It claims her husband has suffered economic losses as he has and continues to provide care for his wife.
“This was an outrageous, horrible, preventable tragedy,” said Mark Kitrick, counsel for the plaintiffs in a statement. “Our clients' lives and so many other innocent victims have been permanently altered. This Defendant's illegal or fraudulent conduct is reprehensible, and so this lawsuit is about full accountability and ensuring that those responsible are held fully answerable for the consequences of their actions.”
Kitrick mentioned reports of fraudulent conduct regarding Ngom's ability to even obtain a commercial driver's license. We have reported on this topic:
Bowling, a commercial license holder himself, said he wonders why Ngom had a commercial driver's license despite previous crashes and alleged fraud littering his history.
“We have a process to go through, and if people were skipping over that, then what's the point of having a process. Maybe that could have been avoided. Maybe all this could have been avoided,” Bowling said.
Bowling called it “absolutely negligent” for Ngom to have his commercial driver's license, despite the red flags.
“It sickens me to hear about that, because we have a strict system as it is, and people are able to bypass that so easily,” Bowling said.