Justice for Ioan Suiugan
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Ionut Suiugan

  • Thursday, May 11th 2023 approx. 6 AM EST, my cousin Raul Suiugan receives a call from Joe (Joseph Braum), my father’s Employer/Dispatch and the owner of the truck Ioan Suiugan was driving, informing him that his uncle got hit in the head with a strap; he was informed by GM Safety Tonawanda. Raul informed me right away with a phone call. Joe worked for Arrow Logistics at that time and now works for Square One in Lansing, MI. (Our father had a missed call from Joe on May 11th, 5:28 AM)
  • I work as dispatch, the night shift, but I took my laptop and left towards my sister right away. We decided to go be by our father’s side because we were informed that he is in critical condition and might not make it by the time we arrive; he was being kept alive by the machines.
  • On our way to the hospital, GM representatives kept calling my sister, insisting they needed to find the truck’s keys because it was blocking the docks and slowing down their workflow, but we didn’t know where the keys were yet.
  • On May 11th, 2023 around 3 PM EST after driving from Michigan, over 370 miles, we arrived at Buffalo Mercy Hospital in NY, (the 2nd hospital our father was taken to after Kenmore Hospital, because of his serious injuries). We found him unresponsive, barely alive with tubes down his throat, bandages around his head, and a scraped knee.
  • At Buffalo Hospital, was waiting for us 2 ladies, Medical Representative from GM Tonawanda, but one of them left the room shortly after we sat down; and in the room was also Rachel Santana, RN Buffalo Mercy. During our conversation, Voichita Boboc (Aunt) was on the phone with us because she has medical expertise and was also Ioan Suiugan’s sister. While the GM rep. explained what they knew happened, it didn’t make sense to us or my aunt. The GM representative kept saying they believe that he was without a heartbeat for over an hour and he has very low chances of waking up. She kept insisting we should “unplug him from the machines.” We insisted to both doctors that we want a CT scan done because we see bandages around his head, and Ioan Suiugan’s employer told us that he was hit in the head with a strap. They advised us that he cannot be moved due to his critical condition. The doctor told us they’ll give us some time with our father, but to decide after if we keep him alive or not.
  • After approx. 1 hour, we both decided not to unplug him; we couldn’t do it. We left the hospital shortly after to look for a hotel. We were scheduled to meet GM officials the next day to receive an official rapport with the events from that night and to recover the truck because we found the keys in my father’s pocket, and since I have a chauffeur license, I decided to recover the truck myself and return it to Joe (the owner).
  • On May 12th, 10:20 AM, my sister and I arrived at GM Tonawanda Engine. After we checked in with the security guard (Who mentioned that the entire plant is talking about what happened to our father), we were told to wait; He will let them know we arrived and someone will be with us shortly to give us more info. We tried to ask the security guard what he knows, but he mentioned that he is not allowed to talk about it.
  • About 10 minutes later, Pamela Bayers (Ryder Representative) comes out from behind the door to inform us that they didn’t expect us to arrive so early and they are still working on the story in the back but shouldn’t take much longer. While we were waiting, Pam waited with us. We asked her what she knew about the incident.. She said that all she knows is that our father was found by someone, somewhere in the plant without a heartbeat, and they are not sure for how long he was laying like that. The story that Pamela told my sister and I didn’t make much sense because it was cold that morning (48°F), and our father knew he’s not allowed to wander around in a plant at night by himself, he did many other shipments before the delivery from 5/11/2023. She kept avoiding other questions related to the incident by saying that we will have the rapport soon; she even changed the subject and told us how she lost her son to Covid.
  • Shortly after, a younger lady that presented herself as the head of GM Tonawanda Safety comes out from the same door Pamela came from.. with a security guard, informing us that they will take us to recover the truck. We took the security car to the truck, and on our way there, they instructed us that after we recover the truck, we have to strictly follow them back to the office to give us the rapport because of the plant safety and regulations. The head of security, just like Pam, also tried to avoid answering our questions about what happened that night, telling us about the plant history and how that particular plant helped with the world war building for the army which was odd to us because we kept asking about what happened to our father but she kept avoiding answering mentioning every-time that everything is in writing and waiting for us when we come back. The safety manager seemed slightly annoyed of being questioned but also briefly mentioned the same story Pamela Bayers told us.. ”Someone found him, but we don’t know for how long he was laying somewhere in the plant without a heartbeat” I asked who found him and where, but she avoided answering by mentioning the rapport again.
  • Once we arrived at the truck, which was clearly not slowing down their workflow because it wasn’t blocking the docs; it was backed up on the side of the building about 200 feet away from the docks. We looked around the truck, and we were preparing to leave when my sister told me to wait! “Can’t you see that guy running towards us waving and screaming?” I was tired from working my night-shift, and I didn’t notice him, but we waited.
  • When the safety manager saw the witness running towards us, she started rushing us to leave, saying “it’s not safe, trucks are passing by” but we said “No!, we wait to see what he has to say; maybe he saw something.” Pamela was completely quiet at this point and in shock; both Pam, and the Safety Manager looked really worried, looking at each other quietly. The security guard didn’t look so worried he also didn’t talk much yet, probably he was oblivious about what was happening.
  • This driver came running to us from the docks, and the first thing he did was to ask us if we were the kids of the person who drove this truck, pointing towards the truck our father was driving. We both said “Yes, why? Did you hear anything?” And the next thing he said was, “I feel so bad for you guys; I actually saw when it happened, and when he fell from the back of the truck, we rushed to help him right away.” My sister and I were shocked. We asked that person, “Please tell us more because ”they” (I was pointing towards Pam and the plant safety manager) told us that he was found in the plant by someone.” He also managed to say, “We saw how he felt from the truck when he was unloading the pallets! All of us ran from the docs, to help your father and gave him first aid right away until the ambulance and police arrived” but that’s when he was abruptly interrupted by the safety manager threatening him in front of us, saying “Mr. Stephenson, you have a family; think about your future! We will sue you for defamation.” In the meantime, Mr. Stephenson, looking very angry, started screaming at them… “I’m an American citizen! It’s my freedom of speech! The kids have the right to know what happened to their father!” right after he said that, the security guard grabs him by the hand, pushes him away from us and whispered something in his ear that we couldn’t hear. I angrily asked Pam, “Why did you lie to us and said that our father was found somewhere in the plant?” Pam did not speak another word from then on; she just distanced herself and started walking towards the security car, looking scared. After the security guard, more then likely whispered threats to Mr. Stephenson. Slowly and looking sad walks towards us saying. ”I’m sorry guys, I really wanted to tell you what happened, but I’m not allowed”. and then goes to his truck which was not parked at the docks. When I asked to see the video footage, pointing towards the cameras from the building, the GM safety manager, frustrated, wrote on a piece of paper the address from the police station and told us, “We are in contact with the police, and they have more information and the video footage. They were here!”
  • We took the piece of paper from her, relieved that the police has the video footage and we’ll find out the truth. Angrily, the Safety Manager told us to follow the security car and to leave now. The security guard started walking towards me, getting ready to grab me too but I told him not to touch me because we are going to the police to find out the truth. I got ready to punch him if he would’ve touch me. More then likely he noticed it, stepping back but was still following me from the distance to make sure I get in the truck.
  • On our way out, we still expected to be taken back to the front office to receive the official rapport promised, but they guided us to the exit and told us again to leave and go to the police station. I was driving Joe’s truck, and my sister was driving her car towards Town of Tonawanda Police Dept. 1835 Sheridan Dr, Buffalo, NY 14223.
  • Once we arrived at the police station, we were told to wait, but shortly after, a desk officer called us at the window. We told him who we were and why we were there. The officer was confused; he told us that he heard something about it but they did not investigate or interrogate any witnesses, and they didn’t take the video recordings from the plant because they didn’t think it was not important enough, and the ambulance took over.
  • That was so shocking and infuriating, that it made me yell out loud. ”My father is in the hospital fighting for his life, and you didn’t do your job to investigate what happened!? You just went to the plant and then came back without doing anything?” I also informed him of what GM did to us in the plant just minutes ago and that we are suspecting them of covering up something they did wrong and we need the police to investigate and interrogate the multiple witnesses from the accident one of them still being there right now!
  • Seeing how upset and angry we both were, the desk officer informed us to wait because he was going to talk to his supervisor. He comes back 5 minutes later and tells us that they didn’t write a rapport nor investigate what happened because it didn’t seem necessary. I noticed that the officer stopped looking me in the eyes but was annoyed for asking so many questions and for accusing them of not doing their job. I raised my voice to him and screamed“This didn’t seem necessary enough for you to do your job and ask questions when you were called in!?”’ Showing him a picture with my father from the hospital. At that point I almost lost it, and almost got myself into trouble with the Town of Tonawanda Police, because I started being really angry and almost started swearing at the desk officer for their ” incompetence” In my honest opinion they didn’t do anything because they either got bribed or did a favor to GM and not because incompetence because of how weird they behaved when we asked for the rapport or to go investigate the witnesses.
  • On my way back to Michigan, I texted Joe on 5/12/2023 about everything that happened, and I asked him to save the phone recordings from when GM told him that our father was hit in the head by a strap, Joe ignored my message for a couple of days, writing back on 5/14/2023 to congratulate us hearing from my sister that, “Our father woke-up”, completely ignoring my request for the phone recordings. I asked him again to save the recordings, and if he’s willing to testify to what he was told by GM when they called in the accident, but he said… “Our phones are not recorded.”
  • My sister and I started looking for lawyers and started calling multiple law firms on 5/13/2023, but no one dared to take on GM’s ”army of lawyers” and refused us. Other law firms scared us that if we lose the case, GM will come after us for defamation and we can get in serious trouble.
  • Joe (Joseph Braum) 734-351-9554 all this time Joe was also distancing and ignoring our requests just like G.M. He doesn’t want to admit what G.M told him over the phone about our father being hit in the head, more then likely because he let our father drive his truck with an expired medical card. My sister and I tried to contact him multiple times in order to file a claim with the insurance but he doesn’t answer back.

Arrow Logistics – 7140 W Fort St. Detroit, MI 48209 – 313-827-1000

USDOT 1036934 – License Plate BD52852 Truck 617

Numbers saved from Ioan Suiugan’s phone related to Arrow Logistics: 734-642-5481 • 734-642-5988 • 734-304-9863 • 734-363-7993 (Arrow Boss)

  • 2 GM medical representatives that first saw us at Buffalo Mercy on 5/11/2023 (unknown)
  • Dock Witness – I remember Mr. Stephenson, my sister remembers Mr. Hoffman 5/12/2023
  • Tonawanda Dock Workers & possible witnessess. (G.M. Dock Employees / Receivers)
  • 1. Calvin Hale
  • 2. Steven H.
  • 3. Wayne Geist
  • Tara Wasik was G.M Tonawanda plant director in 2023
  • Pamela Bayers (Ryder employee, first official from the plant to see us) 5/12/2023
  • Safety Manager and Security Guard (unknown) Date: 5/12/2023
  • Town of Tonawanda Police: 716-876-5300 – 1835 Sheridan Drive, Buffalo, NY 14223 5/12/2023
  • GM Tonawanda Plant: 716-879-5000 – Jerry (Safety) – Spoke with Jerry to request the official accident rapport:
  • Sept 3rd – spoke for (24 minutes)
  • Oct 30th – called 5 times, no answer. 5:41 PM – 5:43 PM x2 – 5:51 PM – 5:52 PM
  • November 13th – 9:21 AM (56 seconds) – 9:22 AM (14 minutes) – 9:43 AM (37 seconds) is when I wasn’t nice anymore.
  • November 16th – Called 9:25 AM with no answer
  • Received email from Sean Z. Kelly Liability Claims on behalf of GM asking what exactly I want on 9/18/2024. I emailed Sean back on 10/29/2024 informing him that we want the the rapport, otherwise, we are going to the news and FBI and will subpoena Pamela Bayers to testify in court to say the same story she told us when we first arrived at Tonawanda Engine. He emailed us the official rapport on 11/18/2024 9:07 AM.
  • 11/18/2024 Contacted Mr. Radu Iacoban our personal lawyer, and scheduled an appointment with him on 11/18/2024. He advised me to file a claim with the insurance for wrongful death of my father. He also told me that he wishes to help me but this is a case that is too big for him.
  • My sister and I started looking and calling lawyers again after seeing the accident rapport, and found Ralph C. Chapa, ”Kaufman, Payton & Chapa law-firm” interested to take our case on 11/20/2024. At the meeting with Mr. Ralph C. Chapa, he informed me that his law-firm is small to take on such a big case which happened in New York. He said we have a case, but we need more evidence or witnesses and also mentioned that he would help us get the video footage from Tonawanda Police using Freedom of Information Act.
  • Feb 3rd 2025 – Contacted OSCHA via eMail and phone but they told me that they cannot do anything because it passed too long from the accident.
  • February 27th 2025 – Contacted FBI leaving a brief explanation of the accident, left my phone number and email but was not contacted back.

There were multiple reasons why I pursued finding the truth late. After the accident, I stayed with my father in N.Y to help out and because I was afraid they might kill him in the hospital. GM Medical insisted multiple times we should unplug him and were kind of annoyed when we decided not to. Staying with my father in N.Y also affected my job. I had to work from away and my employer did let me do that for a while but I had to go back to the office. I went from MI to NY about 6 times while he was hospitalized in Buffalo, my car even broke down the last time I arrived in NY, the breaks failed and I stopped in a fence. The first time I went back to Michigan was just to get my gun, to be able to defend my family, they were capable of stopping the police to do their job and made false medical assessments, they seemed very dangerous and eager to cover their mistakes and lies.

In the beginning it was a lot of fear; GM personnel threatened the witness and us in the plant with lawyers and defamation; Buffalo Police was present but did not interrogate witnesses, write a rapport or take any video footage. GM medical staff lied to both NY hospitals and lied to us too at Buffalo Mercy Hospital, insisting ”we should unplug him”. Only someone heartless and powerful with a lot of courage and a lot to loose would decide and orchestrate something like this.

I’m almost certain but not 100% sure, GM spied on us or tried to intimidate me. I started noticing someone spying on me at the office, parked across the street facing my office building, always kept the engine running who never left the car for a few nights in a row, and was not hiding that well either. I start work at 9PM he would arrive around 10PM and would leave around 1AM but never got out of his vehicle. He would just stay in the car across the street watching me with binoculars. Working the night-shift, and at the same office for over 10 years, it was really easy for me to spot him because the parking lot he was watching me from was always empty at night. After I first noticed him, I pretended I was unaware of his presence and I started sneaking around the building and started watching him too with my binoculars. He was a black man, well built, in his mid to late 40’s and had a burgundy newer GMC SUV. I called Farmington Hills Police because of how suspicious he looked, but they didn’t catch him. He dropped his binoculars and left quickly when he saw me making a call, walking towards his truck looking through my binoculars. I was trying to give the police the number plates and more details. He never showed up again after I called the police but also my office moved to a different city about a month after that incident.

Another reason for letting some time pass was in order for them to relax and pay the bribes to the people involved in this cover-up / work-related accident. All they have to do is to follow the money trail or job promotions after the accident. This definitely seems like bribery or blackmail for the people GM officials involved. Who would risk their career or freedom for free? Someone higher up in that plant decided that it is better for them to lie to us about what really happened to our father in order for them to get away from looking bad in the news and avoid a lawsuit from the family.

We kept requesting GM Tonawanda the official rapport kindly over the phone multiple times until I got really angry warning them that I’m going to the news and the FBI if they keep staling sending us the rapport. My last call with Jerry was really mean and threatening, probably that’s why the official accident was finally emailed to us by Sean Z. Kelly.

This tragedy caused our mother a stroke on 1/9/2024 and left her paralyzed on her left side, shortening her lifespan considerably. That’s another reason for postponing pursuing justice, I had to go to Romania on July 16th 2024 to bring my mom to the USA. Once I came back to the U.S. I started looking for other lawyers because Morgan dropped our case while I was in Europe.

This tragedy caused our grandmother so much pain that her health started to decline rapidly after her son’s passing, she was hospitalized multiple times, she was sad beyond imagination having to witness her child not being able to walk, talk, eat, recognize her or do anything like before the accident. She passed away one year after Ioan Suiugan with her heart broken.

We avoided going public was because we didn’t want to show how badly our father got after the accident. It was so painful seeing him suffer every day for over 8 months before his passing, being paralyzed from waist down, using a catheter to urinate, had a feeding tube connected to his stomach for feeding because he didn’t know how to eat anymore nor felt any taste. He was wearing mittens an was tied to the hospital bed because he wasn’t aware of what’s going on to him and would pull on the feeding tube and panic not knowing he’s in a hospital. They didn’t want to put a nurse in the room to watch him so they tied him to the hospital bed. He also got infected with antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infection (UTI) at Trinity Hospital in Livonia, shortly after they also wanted him out of there. He was drugged with high amounts of sedatives at Beaumont Hospital in Farmington Hills because “they didn’t know what else to do.” despite my father’s health improving considerably after his 1st week at Beaumont… When our father was too ”difficult” for the hospitals to handle they just wanted him out of the hospital, one doctor from Beaumont even advised my sister and I to ”find a hospice and he will be sedate until he passes away, because our father cannot be their patient anymore!” To me, this ”advice” was so cruel and infuriating, that made me asked that doctor if he would do it to his father?! To which he answered, NO! We tried every day to help him remember who he is and who we are, explained numerous times what happened to him, but his brain was not processing any information due to the head trauma and not heart failure as GM said. He didn’t remember any family members or friends, he would speak a lot of nonsense and for a while he would speak in 3 different languages, one of which is Hungarian and we don’t understand it.

We called multiple lawyers to help us, but none had the courage to go against GM; some lawyers even warned us that GM is too powerful and we should be careful, until Morgan and Morgan, whom also dropped the case for no reason. I fear retaliation, but I also want to bring every single one involved to justice for their incompetence, ignorance, or involvement to cover the truth and not helping us at all, but quite distancing themselves and stalling providing the accident report. The first time we found out that our father fell on his head twice, and it was actually a brain injury/concussion, was on 11/18/2024, from a heavily redacted plant rapport… which is unacceptable in any civilized country. The only person with the dignity and courage to tell us the truth was Mr. Stephenson, and we are thankful that there are American citizens like him, people like him is what made this country the greatest in the world. We wish him much health, we would like to thank him properly and personally for everything he did because we would’ve never found the truth but only the phony weird story GM came up with, blaming our father for this tragedy.

This will be a nightmare that will follow our family for the rest of our life. Since I lost my father, I have anxiety and regular random panic attacks, something that I don’t remember experiencing before. I started drinking heavily and started smoking a lot of weed to deal with the sorrow and to be able to fall asleep. I started having dark thoughts that if there’s no legal justice for our father, I’m afraid I’ll seek justice myself. The mistreatment our father received from that GM plant, the hospitals, police present that night, his employer and the pain he endured is something you hope never happens to anyone else! No one deserves this kind of injustice in a civilized country like United States! We emigrated here for a better future, we took all the steps to receive the Green-card which was not easy being Romanians and we get treated like this? They denied us the truth from the beginning because they didn’t want him to get better and remember what happened. GM personnel misled us and the medical institutions. The GM Medical intentionally did not follow the correct initial medical procedures and first aid because in the medical files they do not mention that his head was put on cold right away to preserve the brain after the concussion. We found him unconscious and with bandages over his head but they said the bandages are just to hold the cables and they were treating him for heart failure!