Moped driver dies in crash

Editor's note: Joseph Jones is a Register correspondent representing vermiliondaily.com. VERMILION — A 20-year-old Vermilion man died following a crash Tuesday evening on Liberty Avenue near Subway. Authorities say a westbound car turning into a driveway collided with an eastbound moped, fatally injuring the moped's rider. According to the Vermilion Police Department, officers arrived shortly after 6:20 p.m. and found the moped operator, Merik Bendig, unresponsive but breathing. He was treated at the scene by Vermilion Fire and LifeCare EMS before being transported by helicopter to Cleveland MetroHealth, where he later died from his injuries, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The driver of the car, identified as a 19-year-old Lorain resident, was not hurt. A trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the driver failed to yield while turning left into a driveway on Liberty Avenue, causing the moped to strike the car's passenger side. Witnesses told police the car was turning into a business's lot when the crash occurred. Family members have been notified, and numerous friends and relatives shared confirmations of Bendig's passing on social media Wednesday morning. The Ohio State Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash.