CLEVELAND — A 50-year-old Avon Lake man faces several charges, including aggravated vehicular assault, after being accused of striking a construction worker on I-90 in Westlake last month.
On Thursday, a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted Rolando Rodriguez on three counts of aggravated vehicular assault, failure to stop after accident, and driving while under the influence.
The incident happened during the early morning hours on June 20 as a construction company was setting up a work zone on I-90 west at Columbia Road. Police and a family friend identified the worker as Richard Szymkowski to 3News.
Sara Niemann, a family friend of Szymkowski's who told 3News she was given permission by his family to speak on this matter, said that her friend was seriously hurt as a result of his injuries.
"He does have some pretty serious injuries, including a skull fracture, which does have 17 sutures on it, he did have some internal bleeding with a liver laceration," she told 3News. "He is completely covered in road rash and cuts, bruises, and his legs are both broken from the knee down, one including a compound fracture."
Niemann, who describes her friend as one of the kindest people you could ever meet, said he has a son and two cats. She also said his younger brother, his colleague, was also on the worksite when Szymkowski was hit.
Later in the day on June 20, the Westlake Police Department announced it had recovered the suspect vehicle and was interviewing the owner about the incident. Police also posted pictures of the damage done to the vehicle, including a damaged passenger-side door mirror as well as passenger-side front damage.
On June 21, Rodriguez appeared in Rocky River Municipal Court via Zoom, where he was arraigned on charges of Aggravated Vehicular Assault with a specification of reckless operation (a third-degree felony) and Stopping After an Accident on a Highway (a fourth-degree felony). For those charges, Rodriguez faces a minimum of 2-8 years in prison as a result of the vehicular assault charge and up to 18 months in jail due to the fleeing charge. Rodriguez, who appeared without an attorney, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was ordered to abstain from alcohol and wear an alcohol detection bracelet and issued a $200,00 cash surety bond.
3News' Ryan Haidet, Ben Axelrod, and Matt Rascon contributed to this story