By: Zoey Davis/Editor

      A young life tragically ended in the drive-through of a Taco Bell, but with the family and community coming together, her legacy will live on.

     On August 14, 2024, a horrific incident involving a young woman and a man occurred at the Stow Taco Bell near the Route 8 expressway. Megan Keleman, 25,  tragically lost her life at the hands of a man who suffered from a mental illness. Keleman stopped at Taco Bell that day, and unfortunately was met with a strange man who would take her life and then his own. 

     Kelly and Nick Keleman, Megan’s parents, have been very active in the community after their daughter’s passing.  The Keleman’s have started a foundation, Megan’s Rainbow of Hope, to honor Megan and her legacy by giving out scholarships to support the same programs with which Megan was involved.

     “Education was very important to Megan…one of our scholarships is for [the CTE engineering] program. So the student has to be a graduating senior, who’s completed two years, and we give out the scholarship once a year,” Kelly said. 

     Megan was a high-achieving person; she earned a double major and volunteered at shelters to help animals or the less fortunate. In high school, she was in the CTE programs for engineering and then went off to Cleveland State University. Megan’s Rainbow of Hope now gives out scholarships for both. 

     “She was way more than we knew…She became the Editor-in-Chief of The Cauldron, a newspaper at Cleveland State University, while she was trying to do a double major. [She also] founded a sorority and was President [and] Treasurer,” Nick said. 

     Megan contributed abundantly to her community, friends and family. She was greatly educated and giving; her death not only struck the entire town of Stow, but also surrounding communities. Megan’s tragic situation raised awareness of the dangers that can come from cramped drive-throughs.

     “When I got to the situation, it was very apparent she couldn’t get out. When you see two ambulances, one on one side of the building, one on the other side of the building…she was trapped. 
There was no way out. So the only thing we can control is…we need to advocate for a safer drive-through–safe accessibility,” Nick said.

     The Keleman’s worked with a large number of people to navigate through the legalities and give a name to Megan’s Way Out. The family made the idea, a bypass lane in drive-throughs to allow an easy way out or in when in an active emergency. They then brought the idea to the Mayor of Stow, John Pribonic, alongside Ohio’s State Senator, Casey Weinstein.

     “Mayor Pribonic reached out to us first, and I had a conversation with him–this was within 24 hours after the incident that we already [spoke]. Mayor Pribonic helped with this, and then Casey Weinstein was at our house two days later talking to us in our kitchen, crying with us, discussing what we need to do [in order to begin] a drive-through law,” Nick said.

     In hopes this kind of tragedy will never occur again, Pribonic played a key role in helping the Keleman’s implement the new law in Megan’s memory. The Megan’s Way Out Law has since been passed in Stow and is currently under review in neighboring cities. 

     “They approached [me] and said, ‘Is there a way that we can go ahead and make a bypass lane in our drive-through restaurants, or just even drive-throughs,’” Pribonic said. 

     Pribonic said that many establishments in Stow do not have immediate exit access due to the rarity of situations like Megan’s. Freak accidents happen every day, but this was very unusual, especially for Stow. People were looking for answers as to why or how someone could do something to this degree.

     “What was interesting [with] this was, there was never really any resolve to it. That being the case, because there was no explanation, many [rumors]  surfaced out there…All the film footage suggested something totally different: It was just a person who was really mentally incapacitated,” Pribonic said. 

     Pribonic also said that there seemed to be no reason for the attack; investigators claimed this man went out with the intention to hurt somebody. It is impossible to predict what situation will happen where, so he feels it is important to have an escape plan in place just in case. 

     “[Any place planning on building] a drive-through in our city is going to have a way to be able to get out [of a lane] if necessary,” Pribonic said. 

     Pribonic went on to say that many businesses are remodeling, or plan to renovate, including companies currently under construction or intended to be built. Megan’s Way Out Law requires businesses with these plans to include a bypass lane in their drive-through; however, they cannot force firms to remodel structures currently in place. Businesses must already have the means and intend to renovate and will have to decide for themselves whether they want construction done at their place of work. 

     “[The Kelemans] came to us at a local level, then I reached out for a state level to Casey, and now we’re even working at a federal level. [This] isn’t just centric to Stow. This is something that can happen anywhere,” Pribonic said. 

     Many cities surrounding Stow are also working to pass this law. Cuyahoga Falls has already passed Megan’s Way Out, and others, including Ravenna and Tallmadge, are also looking into passing this law. Megan’s story has influenced many cities and states to make their business establishments safer. 

     “Cuyahoga Falls heard about it because the incident happened right on the border of Falls and Stow. So Falls came alongside us and also passed Megan’s Way Out and updated their codes to include bypass lanes,” Kelly said. 

     It is difficult for the Keleman family to go to every city and state to advocate for Megan’s Way Out. Although they have been very active in talking to new outlets, especially when founding Megan’s Rainbow of Hope, the Keleman’s goal is to stay active in their community by speaking out, raising awareness about being involved and sharing Megan’s story. The family aims to inspire the younger generation to speak up and use their voice.

     “If they feel this is something that has connected with them, and it’s touched their heart, and they find that they support it, call the governor’s office or your state representative. Call them, and tell them how this is important to you because things happen in numbers. You don’t realize how loud your voices are,” Kelly said. 

     Megan’s passing raised awareness among other drivers on the road to encourage caution. Her death highlighted the troubles that arise in having a drive-through unable to be quickly exited and how important it is to be aware of every situation. The Kelemans have fought through grief and advocated for safer drive-throughs to ensure an emergency situation will have immediate exit options. 

        “Ultimately, our goal is that we want to [honor] Megan. That’s what this whole thing is about–Megan’s Rainbow of Hope. honoring her senses in her name. 
Megan’s Way Out, and hence, it’s in her name. It’s about her making the changes. It’s not about us. 
It’s about her. What we want to convey to people, without her. She can’t talk to anybody anymore,” Kelly said.