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Driver gets additional charge in June crash

Coitsville accident killed motorcyclist

COITSVILLE — Two additional misdemeanor charges have been filed against the woman accused of turning left in front of three motorcyclists June 25 on state Route 616, resulting in injuries to all three motorcyclists, one of whom died Monday.

Gloria J. Dothard, 65, of Coitsville Road in Coitsville Township, was charged in Campbell Municipal Court on Tuesday with two counts of reckless assault, a first-degree misdemeanor, involving the two men who were injured. Dothard is set for a 9 a.m. Friday arraignment on the charges.

Brian Macala, Campbell law director, said Wednesday he was prepared to file the same charge this week against Dothard regarding injured motorcycle passenger Patricia Hagerty, 56, of Youngstown, but he learned the same day that Patricia Haggerty had just died.

As a result, Macala said he will wait before filing any charges involving her death until after her autopsy is complete. Macala said her autopsy might reveal information that could lead to a different charge being filed against Dothard.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Patricia Hagerty was a passenger on a Can-Am Spyder, a three-wheeled motorcycle, being driven by her husband, Harold Hagerty, 55, of Youngstown.

Dothard’s new charges accuse her of recklessly causing serious physical harm to both Harold Hagerty and Paul Halfelder, 56, of Austintown, who was riding a Kawasaki Vulcan.

An Ohio State Highway Patrol accident report states that Dothard turned left in front of the motorcyclists while turning into a driveway between Cooper Road and Walker Drive on Route 616 at about 2 p.m. June 25.

Dothard’s vehicle did not come in contact with the motorcycles, and Dothard was not injured, the report states.

Dothard was charged with minor misdemeanor of failure to yield on a left turn in the accident shortly afterward. She pleaded no contest in August to an amended minor misdemeanor of having no taillight in that case.

The patrol officer said Halfelder took evasive action to avoid Dothard’s vehicle but did not come in contact with it. He was wearing a helmet. The Hagertys were not wearing helmets, the patrol officer said. Patricia Hagerty was flown to the hospital with critical injuries. She died Monday in St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office confirmed Wednesday.

The motorcyclists were taking part in the 9th annual Teddy Foltz Poker Run fundraiser to support the Teddy Foltz Memorial Fund.

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