YOUNGSTOWN — A 32-year-old Niles man was given five years of probation Wednesday for his part in a 2019 traffic accident outside an Austintown bar that injured another man.

Joseph Ryan, of Cedar Avenue, Niles, appeared before Mahoning County Common Pleas Judge Maureen Sweeney for sentencing after he pleaded guilty May 6 to a single charge of vehicular assault.

Sweeney bypassed incarceration because Ryan agreed to pay $5,000 in restitution to the victim. The victim chose not to speak before sentencing, according to Assistant Prosecutor Robert J. Andrews.

Reports show the accident occurred after a melee outside the Chippers Sports Bar and Grill on Edgehill Avenue in Austintown.

Defense attorney Damian Billak said the incident was a “wake-up call” for Ryan, who now has a stable relationship and is employed.

Ryan apologized to the victim prior to sentencing.