Crash report: Box truck driver distracted by noise moments before crash that killed inmate on I-75

DAYTON — A box truck driver that crashed into the back of a Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office correction vehicle was distracted by a noise inside the truck moments before the deadly crash, according to a preliminary crash report by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

>>PHOTOS: Inmate working with litter clean-up crew killed in crash on I-75 in Moraine

The crash killed Montgomery County Jail inmate Tim Tufano, 52, Oct. 3, after the box truck slammed into the back of the corrections van, sending the van into Tufano, killing him. Tufano was one of six inmates working a litter clean-up program on the side of the highway when the crash happened.

The driver of the Aramark box truck, Jeffery Collins, 37, of Dayton, told state troopers investigating the crash was distracted by a noise from the back of his truck and was not able to brake before slamming into the back of the van.

“The driver for Aramark said that he heard a loud bang in the back of his truck and looked back for a split second and when he looked forward again he saw the Deputy’s van. He did not have time to react and step on his brakes before striking the back of the Deputy’s van,” state troopers logged in the crash report, obtained in a News Center 7 public records request.

Investigators noted the sheriff’s office van had all emergency overhead lights on and was in the shoulder of the highway when the crash happened. All six Montgomery County inmates were outside the van and were wearing reflective vests when the crash happened.

>>Dayton man hit, killed on I-75 while working on jail inmate litter crew ‘a family man,’ son says

Charges or citations have not yet been filed. A spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol told News Center 7 all crash findings will be presented to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office for review of potential charges.

The Department of Transportation records for Aramark indicate the company has received a satisfactory safety rating in the two years before the Oct. 3 crash. The company had also only reported one crash in the two years before the crash.

Now over two weeks after the deadly crash, Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck has allowed the inmate worker program to resume as the office continues its review of what happened.

“If something needs to be changed, it will be done,” Streck told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell Thursday.

Inmates have been allowed to return to the litter clean-up, however Streck said they are being kept off the highways until an internal risk management review is completed.

“Where they are working nowadays is not by the side of the highway right now,” Streck said.

Streck said he is confident the supervisors did nothing wrong and once the inmates involved in the work crew received counseling and peer support, they indicated they wanted to return to those duties.

We’ll continue to update this story as new details become available.

1 of 10