DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio (WSYX) — A 17-year-old girl riding an electric scooter was killed Friday afternoon in a crash in Orange Township in Delaware County, and the driver accused of hitting her was arraigned in court Monday.
Family identified the girl as Anastasia Jehorek of Lewiston. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said she was on an electric scooter in the side safety lane on State Route 750 when a vehicle driven by Aviv Bukobza left its lane and struck her, killing her. Troopers said evidence on the roadway showed he left his lane, including tire scuff marks from both vehicles. Bukobza faces charges of vehicular manslaughter and leaving a marked lane. In court Monday morning, he pleaded not guilty.
Anthony Bowling, Jehorek’s uncle, attended the arraignment and described his niece as someone who “always had a smile.”
“When she was a baby, all the way up until just recently, she always had a smile. And I think she brought a lot of light to people’s lives, and that’s just a light that’s no longer with us,” Bowling said.
Bowling said he came to court to support his family.
“I just wanted to come up and be there for Anastasia,” he said.
Bond was set at $10,000. Bowling said he believes the bond amount is too low, raising concerns about possible distraction.
“It’s not enough, especially if something contributed, like him being on a cell phone,” Bowling said.
Highway patrol said impairment is not suspected, and it is unknown whether Bukobza was on his phone or otherwise distracted. Troopers said a phone was seized from Bukobza and will be analyzed to determine whether it was used at the time of the crash.
Bowling said the court process can bring justice, but won’t bring his niece back.
“It will never bring closure because Anastasia’s life is gone,” he said.
“He’ll have his life after the end of his sentence, whatever that may be,” he added.
Bowling said the family is trying to focus on healing.
“With this right here, you know, we’re reminded that life is not guaranteed from one day to the next,” Bowling said. “And just in a split second, life can be taken from us. So we should cherish our family members and our friends, and always tell them how much you care for them.”
Highway patrol described Bukobza as an Israeli national in the United States on a work visa and said investigators were still working to determine how long he had been in the country and how long he intended to stay.
A prosecutor argued in court that Bukobza was a flight risk, while Bukobza said his family would not let him return until the country is no longer at war.
Bukobza was represented by an attorney who did not give a statement. An interpreter was present during the court proceedings.
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