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Jury To Decide If PennDOT Shares Responsibility For Deadly Crash

WILKES-BARRE — It will be up to a jury to decide if PennDOT shares responsibility for a deadly crash in 2011 that claimed the life of a teenage girl. Atto...

WILKES-BARRE -- It will be up to a jury to decide if PennDOT shares responsibility for a deadly crash in 2011 that claimed the life of a teenage girl.

Attorneys for the family of Kayla McGrady are suing PennDOT in Luzerne County civil court, claiming that a curve on Suscon Road in Pittston Township was not safe and was lacking safety signs.

The 18-year-old accused of causing the crash, Scott Smith, already admitted fault in 2011 and will remain in juvenile placement until he turns 21.

During the civil trial, investigators said Smith was driving at least 70 mph in a 45 mph zone.

PennDOT officials told Newswatch 16 that it ordered yellow and black “chevron” signs to be installed along the curve more than a year after the deadly crash, as a safety precaution.

Greg Renfer lives along the curvy road and told Newswatch 16 that Suscon Road is safe, if drivers follow the speed limit.

"It just doesn't change. They have signs up there telling them to gear down, slow down, but they don't," said Renfer. "They were going too fast to begin with. That`s the main thing, it really wasn't the road's fault."

Closing arguments are expected Friday morning, before the jury can deliberate the case in Luzerne County.

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