Photo of victims in I-71 pile up involving fraudulent truck driver used in “disrespectful’ political ad, family says
The relatives of a family killed in a nine-vehicle pile up on Interstate 71 caused by a truck driver with a history of fraud say a photo of the deceased was used in a political ad without permission.
36-year-old Lynnea Soposki, 37-year-old Luke Soposki, and 1-year-old Logan Soposki were killed on I-71 in Delaware County, Ohio when a semi truck driven by Modou Ngom crashed into traffic in a construction zone back in April. Three other people were seriously injured.
Since the crash, Ohio DPS uncovered 30 years of identity fraud by Ngom, who used multiple names to acquire different ID cards and licenses and become a naturalized citizen. Ngom also had a history of equipment failure that led to at least one crash.
Now, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has run an ad related to Senator Jon Husted’s political campaign featuring images of the deceased family and video of the crash, which their relatives say they would never have wanted.
“We were not asked. We would not have agreed,” the family said in a statement.
“It’s discourteous, it’s disrespectful, more choice words I could think to use,” said Jesse Mallen, Lynnea’s brother, to 9 ABC. “This is about them, and this is about making sure that people aren’t taking advantage of them after they’ve gone.”
According to NBC4i, the family has since issued a letter to the campaign and made a public statement requesting the ad be withdrawn. The Husted campaign directed all questions to the NRSC, who has not addressed the family concerns. Instead, RSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia stated that “for 32 years, radical leftist Sherrod Brown backed open border policies that cost Ohioans their lives, without ever apologizing. Our ad campaigns will continue to hold Sherrod Brown accountable.”
The ad has reportedly finished its scheduled run, but Malen says this isn’t entirely true.
“My friends in Ohio are still seeing the ad,” Mallen said.