February 07, 2024
Source/Pennsylvania State Police
Pennsylvania State Trooper Brandon Sisca, 29, was among three people killed by a drunk driver in a crash on I-95 in South Philadelphia on March 21, 2022. His wife is suing the driver, Jayana Webb, and others for compensatory and punitive damages.
The widow of a Pennsylvania state trooper who was killed by a drunk driver on I-95 in South Philadelphia nearly two years ago has filed a lawsuit against the woman who was behind the wheel and the hookah bar that allegedly served her alcohol that night. The crash also killed a second trooper and a man who was being assisted along the highway.
Brittany Sisca, the widow of Brandon Sisca, claims Jayana Webb, who was 21 at the time, was illegally served alcohol and marijuana by Vibe Hookah Lounge in Germantown in the hours before the deadly crash on March 21, 2022. Her lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.
Trooper Martin Mack III, 33, and Reyes Rivera Olivera, 28, also were killed when Webb struck them on the southbound side of the highway near the sports complex. Sisca was 29.
Webb, of Eagleville, Montgomery County, pleaded guilty last year to three counts of third-degree murder, three counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, and one count of DUI. Her blood alcohol content was .211%, nearly three times the legal limit, according to Brittany Sisca's lawsuit.
In November, Webb was sentenced to 27 1/2 to 60 years in prison. Webb, now 23, was pregnant when she was sentenced and was permitted to delay her prison sentence until she gave birth and had an opportunity to bond with her child.
Brittany Sisca was pregnant at the time of the crash and has since given birth to a daughter. She's is seeking more than $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages and being represented by the law firm Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky.
The lawsuit alleges Webb was at Vibe Hookah Lounge, at 137 W. Chelten Ave. on the night of the crash. The hookah bar, which has since shut down, did not have a liquor license or other operating permits, the complaint alleges. The suit contends the bar's owners, also named as defendants, had "an unquestionable, statutory duty" to ensure that alcohol would not be served to its patrons.
The fatal crash occurred around 12:30 a.m. near the I-95 exit to Broad Street. Brandon Sisca and Mack were there helping a pedestrian – Olivera – that had been spotted walking along the shoulder of the highway near Lincoln Financial Field. Not long before, they had stopped Webb for speeding at 113 mph near the exit for Allegheny and Castor avenues in Northeast Philly, according to the lawsuit.
When the troopers received the call about Olivera, they let Webb go in an attempt to find Olivera and bring him to safety, authorities said.
A series of social media posts included in the lawsuit allege that Webb went on Twitter moments after she was pulled over and wrote, "Why the cop pull me & he say im doing 110 ina 50" followed by four crying face emojis. The lawsuit claims Webb continued to tweet as she sped on the highway.
Webb was driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone and failed to hit her brakes before she fatally struck Sisco, Mack and Olivera on the shoulder of the highway, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit uses other social media posts to claim that Webb had a pattern of drunk driving. In a tweet on Jan. 15, 2022, Webb allegedly wrote, "If you ask me, I'm the best drunk driver ever" followed by three crying face emojis. The complaint also contends Webb's Instagram account revealed videos and photos of her at Vibe Hookah Lounge in the hours before the crash.
The lawsuit names multiple defendants, including Webb's mother, who allegedly allowed Webb to drive her car.
