LISBON Columbiana County Sheriff Brian McLaughlin, as well as two deputies have been named in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estate of a Hanoverton woman killed in a crash in August of 2023.

The lawsuit, filed by the estate of 47-year-old Jennifer Hunley names Sheriff McLaughlin, as well as Sheriff's Deputies Robert Vukovich and Brian Deack as defendants, alongside Gerald Jackson, who was convicted in connection with the crash.

The crash happened on the afternoon of August 6, 2023. Hunley was driving on Teegarden Road in Center Township when her vehicle was hit by a stolen Chevy Silverado that crossed the center line on a curve while fleeing from sheriff's deputies.

Jackson was under the influence of amphetamines, marijuana and opiates at the time of the crash.

According to the lawsuit, Hunley's 11-year-old son was also in the car with her and suffered serious injuries like a perforated bowel, a buckle fracture of the sternum and multiple orthopedic injuries that required surgery and are believed to be permanent.

Currently, Hunley's son's medical expenses are more than $70,000, and the suit states that number is anticipated to grow with time.

The suit identifies Vukovich as the deputy chasing the stolen vehicle and Deack as his supervisor.

The suit alleges that Vukovich violated the county's pursuit standards by traveling at speeds above those permitted by those standards. The suit provides the following exerpt from the county's pursuit policy:

"In the context of a vehicle pursuit, generally speeds reaching 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. This is not a rule, but rather a guide. Other factors should be considered such as road conditions, traffic, weather, terrain, etc."

The suit notes that it was raining at the time of the chase and the road conditions were "narrow, twisted, wet and slippery."

"These roads were neither designed nor constructed for the high speeds at which both defendants Jackson and Vukovich were driving," the suit reads.

The suit further states that the initial crime of theft did not create an immediate safety risk to the public and that the stolen vehicle was not traveling at excessively high speeds prior to the chase.

Hunley's estate is demanding damages in excess of $25,000 plus interest for Hunley's wrongful death, as well as the pain and suffering Hunley felt between the crash August 6, 2023 and her death on September 18, 2023 and the permanent injuries to her son.

21 News has reached out to Sheriff McLaughlin for comment and we're waiting to hear back.