Charges Filed In Deadly Crash In University Heights

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, OH — On March 28, in the early morning hours, two construction workers were hit by a car while setting up a work zone on Cedar Road, at South Green. One of the construction workers would later die from his injuries.

University Heights Police said Wiley Bridgeman, 64, of Richfield, has been charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and stopping after an accident. Police said Bridgeman hit the two construction workers and then continued driving until he hit a utility pole on the Gilmour Academy campus.

The two construction workers were identified as David Sollars and Ronald Carter. Sollars was killed. He was 54.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are with those that have been impacted by this tragedy," University Heights Police said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bridgeman was taken into police custody after being treated at Hillcrest Hospital for injuries he sustained when he crashed into the pole, police said.

Bridgeman was convicted of murder and spent 39 years in prison until a witness recanted their trial testimony in 2014. The State of Ohio then awarded Bridgeman $2.4 million for wrongful imprisonment, Fox 8 reported.