No charges have been filed in the musician’s death News, Sports, Work

YOUNGSTOWN. Authorities say no charges will be filed in the July death of a musician who was hit by a vehicle.

Lt. Eric Brown of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Canfield Post said the investigation into Sean Ryan Baran’s death is complete and the department will not pursue charges against Richard Weimer, the driver of the car that hit him.

A July 26 crash report shows Baran, 35, was killed when he exited Market Street at Fairview Avenue, near Midlothian Boulevard, and was struck by Weimer’s Volkswagen Jetta.

A medical history attached to Baran’s death certificate, issued by the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office on Sept. 30, states that paramedics found him dead in the roadway upon arrival.

Weimer told police he was driving at or below the posted speed limit of 40 mph when Baran ran out in front of his car. There is no traffic stop sign on Rynok Street at this intersection.

The certificate states that the cause of death was “blunt injury with damage to internal organs, blood vessels and skeleton.” In the description, among other injuries, blunt force injuries to the head and neck, fractures of the ribs and sternum, rupture of the aorta, rupture of the spleen, various internal hemorrhages and fractures of the limbs are noted.

The coroner’s report also shows that the Cuyahoga County medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Baran found marijuana compounds in his system.

However, both Brown and officials from the coroner’s and medical examiner’s offices say that does not mean Baran was intoxicated at the time of the crash.

“It’s well known that the effects of prescription drugs, alcohol and illegal drugs can vary greatly among individuals due to many factors,” said Octavius ​​Jones, an investigator with the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office.

“Toxicology results alone will not be able to determine the degree of impairment,” said Cuyahoga County Toxicologist Luigino Appolonio. “A psychoactive component (Delta-9 THC) was detected and confirmed in the blood, but other elements will determine the degree of impairment.”

He said those elements would include witness statements about the person’s behavior before their death. Brown said the investigation found no evidence to conclude one way or the other.

“Marijuana can stay in your body for a while. Without any personal interaction with the deceased prior to the crash or field sobriety tests, it would be difficult to say that was a factor,” he said.

Baran was well known and loved in the music communities of Youngstown and the region. He graduated with honors from Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music with a BA and MA in Music Performance. He served as organist at Boardman United Methodist Church and was an artist-in-residence at the Lincoln Park Center for the Performing Arts in Midland, PA, where he directed the piano program for the Lincoln Park Charter School for the Performing Arts.

His biography on the Boardman United Methodist Church website states that Baran has served as secretary of the Youngstown Music Teachers Association, vice president of student activities for the Middle East District of the Ohio Music Teachers Association, and junior advisor for District 1 of the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs. He was also a member of the American Guild of Organists and previously served on the executive committee of the Youngstown Chapter.