Wrongful death suit filed over plasma clinic crash that killed 3, including driver
The family of one of the people killed when a car crashed through a North Side plasma clinic in 2021 is suing the estate of the man who was driving.
The crash at Biomat USA Plasma Center, on Western Avenue in Pittsburgh, occurred about 11:30 a.m. on June 12.
Investigators said that the driver, Ronald K. Morgan, 50, committed suicide.
Two employees inside the clinic were also killed — Parveena Begum Abdul, 55, and Laura Elaine Meneskie, 35.
Police said that Morgan was driving a Hyundai Santa Fe at a high rate of speed as he came off the West End Bridge when the car slammed into the building, just to the left of the front entrance.
The car traveled another 100 feet into the clinic, and a fire broke out.
Ten employees and five donors were inside at the time.
The lawsuit said that Abdul, of Clairton, died immediately.
Her death, the complaint said, was a direct result of Morgan’s negligence. The wrongful death lawsuit seeks damages from Morgan’s estate for Abdul’s nine siblings. It was filed by Noor J. Garza, the administrator of the estate and Abdul’s sister.
Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of “Death by Cyanide.” She can be reached at pward@triblive.com.
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