LAKEWOOD, Ohio — The family of a man killed while crossing a Lakewood intersection is hoping for answers about the moments leading up to his death.
Former Cleveland 19 and 3News reporter Bill Safos died after being hit by a car on Madison Avenue on Dec. 11.
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Neighbors said they’ve been raising safety concerns about the stretch of road for years. In a lawsuit filed on behalf of Safos’ family, attorneys place the blame on the driver over the street design.
The wide sidewalks and proximity to schools and businesses were major selling points when Rebecca Miller moved her family to Northeast Ohio.
“We used to live in New York City. So we loved Lakewood when we looked around. It seemed really walkable,” she said.
Shortly after their move in 2021, Miller’s husband was hit by a car while riding his bicycle on Madison Ave. Since then, other close calls and stories from neighbors made the mother of two question the safety of the neighborhood.
“I never felt afraid to walk around in New York City, but here in Lakewood— even though it is very walkable— traffic is such that [it feels less safe],” Miller said.
In December, she was driving her son to a middle school band concert when they witnessed a tragedy.
“My brain at that moment couldn’t really process what was happening. It just seemed like I saw him rolling towards where we were,” she recalled.
Lakewood Police say 58-year-old Bill Safos was crossing Madison Ave. at Hilliard Rd. when a westbound car collided with him in the intersection. The crash report said the pedestrian had a “do not walk” signal, and the driver had a green light.
After an investigation by police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol, investigators said they determined the car involved was driving recklessly. In January, 29-year-old Zachary Saliba was charged with felony counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide and vehicular manslaughter.
RELATED: Man charged for crash that killed former broadcast journalist Bill Safos
“I think that there was fault on the part of the individual who was speeding,” said Miller. “But when you see it over and over - because I have to go through that intersection every single day - I see regularly problems of how people are navigating it.”
Her concerns were echoed by a dozen people during public comment at a December Lakewood City Council meeting after Safos’ death.
“The intersection of Hilliard and Madison is known to be one of the most dangerous in the city,” one neighbor said.
Another added, “I’m sincerely worried that more people will die.”
“What can we do to make that intersection safer?” Miller asked council members.
Some at the meeting said they’d long urged the city to incorporate traffic calming measures, protected bike lanes and other safety improvements to the stretch of Madison Ave.
Attorneys for Safos’ family believe his death had less to do with street design and more to do with the driver’s behavior.
“Ultimately at the end of the day, they want to know exactly what happened and why,” said Jeff Heller, a trial attorney and partner at the Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy law firm.
Heller recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Safos’ family. He said they’ve been devastated by the 58-year-old’s death, particularly his elderly parents.
“Bill was their primary caretaker and he was really the heartbeat of the family,” Heller said.
Wednesday, Lakewood Police shared traffic camera video from the intersection where he was hit. It showed Safos starting to cross the street, and then the camera pivoted before the moment of impact.
The released video does not clearly show what happened before the crash. Heller said his firm has additional video that shows Saliba driving nearly double the 25mph speed limit and weaving in and out of traffic on Madison Ave.
He expects that the video will be submitted as evidence in court and also hopes to obtain information from the vehicle’s event data recorder and the driver’s phone.
The civil case is seeking at least $25,000 in damages, though Heller suspects that figure could change as the investigation reveals new details.
He said the lawsuit is an additional mechanism for the family to hold the driver accountable.
“The lives that they’re going to live without him can only be made whole - if at all - through the civil justice system,” he said.
In a statement on behalf of his client, Saliba’s attorney, Ian Friedman, told News 5, “This entire matter is incredibly tragic for so many. For the benefit of all touched by this situation, we hope to bring the civil and criminal matters to an expeditious and just resolution.”
Neighbors like Miller said they also hope the tragedy creates change for their community.
“I’m really afraid after what I saw, for our kids and for our community,” she said.
