Cincinnati City Council passed a resolution Aug. 5, honoring Jonathan Young, the 46-year-old road worker killed when a Metro bus struck his crew on the Norwood Lateral in July.

Young's family members and fellow road workers packed the City Hall chambers as Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney presented the resolution, Local 12 reported. Kearney told the room that Young pushed his co-workers out of harm's way on the day he lost his life.

His cousin, Rochelle Thompson, said that act fit the man she knew.

"He cared about relationships, he cared about others, and so it wasn't surprising to hear that about him," Thompson said. "He's been a gentle spirit. Smiling, quiet young man."

Young, a supervising traffic worker in the Department of Public Services, had worked for the city for 24 years. He was hired in 2002. On July 16, Metro bus driver Kyle Taylor failed to slow for a road crew working on westbound State Route 562 near the 1.8-mile marker, just west of I-71. The bus slammed into a trailing city truck, which was positioned as a safety barrier, and the impact pushed it into a trailer where three workers stood. Two jumped clear. Young was thrown from the trailer and run over.

The Norwood Lateral runs along the northern edge of Hyde Park and Oakley.

Taylor, 33, was arrested July 23 and charged with one count of misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty July 24 in Hamilton County Municipal Court. A judge set bond at $5,000 and prohibited Taylor from driving. FOX 19 reported Taylor had 12 prior traffic convictions between 2010 and 2026 and was involved in five previous crashes, including one in June 2026.

Co-worker Harold Watson, who drove the second city truck Taylor struck, told the court at Taylor's July 24 arraignment that he had to watch Young take his last breath. "We need justice for John," Watson said.

The case has renewed scrutiny of Ohio's vehicular manslaughter penalties. The charge carries a maximum of 90 days in jail, the fifth-lowest cap in the country. The national median maximum is one year. State Sen. Louis "Bill" Blessing III, a Colerain Township Republican on the Senate Justice Committee, told Local 12 on July 30 that the three-month maximum "seems just too low" and said he is looking into drafting legislation to increase the penalty when a traffic death occurs.

Young's family is represented by the Cooper Elliott law firm, which in 2025 secured a $10 million settlement from SORTA after a Metro bus driver killed 87-year-old educator Beverly Kinney in a Hyde Park crosswalk at Dana Avenue and Duck Creek Road. That settlement included commitments to overhaul Metro's driver hiring, training and safety practices.

Taylor is due back in court in September. The Blessing bill has not yet been formally introduced.