‘That wouldn’t be safe;’ Residents ponder future of litter pickup program following deadly crash

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — UPDATE @ 9:24 p.m.: A Montgomery County Jail inmate working a litter clean-up project died Monday after being involved in a chain-reaction crash on southbound I-75 in Montgomery County.

The area of the crash where Tim Tufano, 52, was hit and killed and three other inmates and a deputy were injured is near Edwin C. Moses Boulevard. It’s an area that is under construction and is a more narrow stretch of highway.

>> Inmate litter crew worker killed in crash on I-75 in Montgomery County is ID’d

The crash occurred when a box truck hit the back of the marked sheriff’s office van. The van was pulled over on the right side of the road with its lights on. At the time of the crash, the inmates were believed to be outside the van, according to Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck. The deputy was in the van.

Streck said the inmates -- identified Tuesday night by the Ohio State Highway Patrol as Tufano, John Riggs, 47; Donald D. Fugate and Matthew Artz, both 43 -- were out picking up litter as part of the Montgomery County Solid Waste Litter Program, which is a volunteer program. Riggs suffered serious injuries, the patrol reported, while Fugate and Artz suffered minor injuries.

As a result of the Monday’s incident, the program has been temporarily paused to provide counseling to all inmates involved.

The incident didn’t change the initial level of support for the program from county residents News Center 7 spoke with Tuesday.

“I think it is worthwhile to continue to do,” Joe Osterday, of Moraine, said. “I wouldn’t stop because of this. Accidents do happen.”

Felicia Paris, also of Moraine, said she believes the program is a good thing.

>> PHOTOS: Numerous injuries reported, lengthy closure expected after crash on SB I-75

Some residents wonder if zones under construction should be ruled out as pickup areas.

“That wouldn’t be safe in the construction zones,” said Annette Miles, another Moraine resident.

Streck said the trash pickup program began in the 1990s.

A county spokesperson told News Center 7 that inmates worked more than 4,000 man hours and collected more than 5,600 bags of trash last year.

Those who volunteer for the program are chosen after a strict selection process and can’t be accused or convicted of violent crimes. They also can’t be sex offenders.

The state patrol also released the names of the other people involved in Monday’s accident, which included Deputy Robert Akemon, 37, who was in the van and suffered minor injuries. The driver of the box truck that hit the sheriff’s office van was Jeffery Collins, 37, who the patrol said reported a possible injury.

The drivers of the two vehicles involved in the chain reaction after the initial crash were Ann Jones, 64, and Logan Hofferbert, 42. Jones, who was driving a Chevy Cruze, suffered minor injuries. Hofferbert, who was driving a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, reported a possible injury.

The state patrol, which is leading the accident investigation, did not include the hometowns of the drivers in the crash.

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