Lawsuit blames bar for serving man who caused cousin's death in DUI crash
A man who caused a drunk-driving crash last year in Pittsburgh that killed his cousin is being sued for negligence in her death along with the Mt. Washington bar where they were said to be drinking that night.
Eonna Page, 25, was killed on March 2, 2024, in a crash near the West End Bridge. Her cousin, Russell Page, was driving.
The lawsuit, filed by the victim’s mother, Cynthia Page, who is the administrator of the estate, names Russell Page, as well as Scarpaci’s Bar and the bar’s owners as defendants.
It alleges the bar sold alcohol to Russell Page while he was visibly intoxicated and failed to protect Eonna Page from “foreseeable risks” as a result.
A message left with the bar Wednesday was not immediately returned.
According to the lawsuit, filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, the cousins were at Scarpaci’s that night.
They left the bar around 2:15 a.m. in a red 2019 GMC Terrain that belonged to Russell Page’s mother.
About 20 minutes later, police said, Russell Page failed to stop for a red light at Saw Mill Run Boulevard and West Carson Street, striking a Hyundai Palisade.
His car then struck a black Tesla sedan, and Eonna Page was ejected from the SUV and thrown under the Tesla.
Eonna Page died at the scene. She is survived by two children, ages 7 and 5.
Five other people were injured.
Russell Page had a blood-alcohol level that night of 0.172%, police said, and was charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.
According to the criminal complaint, after the crash, Page asked another of his passengers who was driving.
“‘You were driving,’” the passenger replied
An event data recorder in Page’s car showed he reached nearly 73 mph in the moments before the crash and did not apply the brakes.
Russell Page pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle and DUI on April 2 and was ordered to serve 11½-23 months in jail as part of a plea agreement.
The lawsuit includes claims for negligence and wrongful death and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
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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