Family wants driver held accountable after Mt. Airy man dies weeks later

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - No charges have been filed in connection with the pedestrian crash that resulted in a man dying weeks later, but a niece of the man says the driver needs to be charged.

Ronald Brown, 60, was hit by a car on Oct. 21 in the 5200 block of Colerain Avenue. He died from his injuries Sunday, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

It was not uncommon for the 60-year-old to walk along Colerain Avenue.

“This particular day, he was going to get snacks and we got a phone call that he had been hit by a car,” explained Brandi Beck, Brown’s niece. “So, we all went over to the hospital. Of course, he was unconscious. He never woke up. He never regained unconsciousness. They told us he had severe brain damage and that there wasn’t much they could do.”

Cincinnati police said Brown was hit by a 2001 Toyota Avalon. The driver lost control of her vehicle and drove onto the sidewalk, crashing into Brown, according to police.

Nearly three weeks after being hit, Brown died.

Beck says she thinks the driver should be held accountable.

“Very, very frustrating because the woman was able to go home to her family and my uncle never woke up,” said Beck. “He never even saw the hit coming because she hit him from behind. I feel like she should face charges just because you took a life. You hopped the curb and took a life.”

Cincinnati Police Department’s Traffic Unit is investigating whether speed and impairment were factors in this crash.

Meanwhile, this is how Beck says she wants her uncle to be remembered.

“A funny guy, a comedian, a kind-hearted person,” Beck said. “Somebody you could call when you need him. Somebody you can have a conversation with. He was a great man. He was a great man.”

The driver that hit Brown stayed at the scene.

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