Longtime Cincinnati high school teacher dies weeks after hit-and-run crash

CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati high school teacher struck by a hit-and-run driver while volunteering earlier this month died from his injuries Tuesday, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.

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Mark Klusman, 74, was a teacher at Elder High School for 50 years after graduating in 1961, our news partner WCPO-TV in Cincinnati reports.

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Klusman was hit by a car on Dec. 9 in the Cincinnati neighborhood of East Price Hill while he was volunteering in a community clean-up event. He was pulling a leaf blower out of a pickup truck when the vehicle hit him, witnesses told WCPO-TV.

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The vehicle that hit Klusman was found the same day as the crash, but police didn’t initially know who the driver was.

Kayla Wilson, 23, was later identified as the driver and was arrested three days later on Dec. 12 on charges of aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular assault, and failing to stop at a crash. Wilson could face new charges following Klusman’s death, the station reports.

Wilson was under the influence of marijuana and was speeding when she hit Klusman, Cincinnati Police said in a media release earlier this month.

She is due in court for an arraignment hearing on Friday.

Klusman was described as a well-known figure in the Cincinnati community, instantly recognizable from this large, white beard, and long white hair. In addition to teaching, he was an avid runner, coach, and community volunteer, WCPO-TV reports.