Dash camera video, active warrant, speeding data: Civil suit filed against hit-and-run suspect, empl

INDIANAPOLIS - A civil suit has been filed against the suspect in a hit-and-run from June and the company he reportedly worked for.




An attorney for the victim's family argues the crash could've been avoided if the company had done a thorough background check before hiring the suspect, or intervened when he started showing red flags.




According to lawyer Brandon Yosha with Yosha Law, 28-year-old Jaylen Brown's life will never be the same after getting hit by a car while riding his bike home from work. He adds it should've never happened because the suspected driver was wanted in another state at the time of the crash.




"It was entirely preventable," Yosha said. "That's what is so infuriating about this case."




Dash camera video shows the suspect's work van hitting the bicyclist going 54 mph down a 35 mph street. Instead of stopping to call 911, investigators say 53-year-old Steven Frazier is shown driving off, then getting out to inspect the damage to his van.




The family is now suing both Frazier and Nelbud Services LLC, the company he reportedly worked for. The complaint accuses Frazier of acting negligently behind the wheel, and Nelbud of bearing some liability for failing to properly screen Frazier before handing him the keys.




"They'll probably try to fight it. They'll try to say he wasn't authorized to use the van, he wasn't within the course and scope of employment," Yosha explained. "Well, they never should've hired him in the first place. He was a fugitive of justice."




Court documents out of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, show a warrant was issued for Frazier's arrest for failure to appear back in December, a few days before he was hired by Nelbud. They also show a disposition date of July 11, not long after Frazier was arrested for the hit-and-run in Indianapolis.




Yosha shared Fraozier's driver performance data that he said shows numerous speeding violations from the night before, including reaching speeds of 94-99 mph. Yosha also provided a recent Nelbud report for theft on the job, which he said should have prompted a thorough background check rather than the documented "verbal correction."




"What if they would've intervened?" Yosha said. "All they had to do was contact the authorities, give them the license plate. Then he's apprehended. Instead, what happens? We have a 28-year-old young man who was robbed of his future."




After the crash, investigators said the video also shows Frazier throwing a brick at the windshield of the van.




Yosha described Jaylen Brown's brain injury as "the worst" his firm has ever seen, saying he'll require round-the-clock care for the rest of his life. Brown's family is already facing over a million dollars in medical bills.




"I can't get him his health back. I can't get him his joy back," Yosha said. "The only thing I can do is ensure Jaylen gets the best possible medical care and the best future life care."




FOX59/CBS4 has reached out to the attorneys defending Steven Frazier and Nelbud Services LLC, but has yet to hear back.




Frazier is scheduled to appear for a pretrial conference in his criminal case on September 15. He faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in catastrophic injury, obstruction of justice and criminal mischief.





via: https://fox59.com/news/dash-camera-video-active-warrant-speeding-data-civil-suit-filed-against-hit-and-run-suspect-employer/