CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – Investigators said that the driver of a medical transport vehicle who hit a truck carrying lumber was at fault in a double-fatal crash Wednesday.
The driver of the medical vehicle, identified as Cody King, and passenger Barbara McWhorter, who was bound to a wheelchair, were killed when the medical transport vehicle crashed into a lumber truck along Hospital Drive at about 10 a.m., 10TV’s Kevin Landers reported.
Investigators said that the two vehicles crashed while the truck that was carrying lumber turned left. According to investigators, King, 21, failed to brake when approaching the truck.
“The carter truck was stopped to make a left turn onto Delano Road, and the life ambulance failed to keep assured clear distance and struck the flat bed truck in the rear,” Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Kari Riebesel said.
The back end of the truck crashed through the medical vehicle’s windshield, killing King, Landers reported.
Family and friends said that driving the medical transport vehicle was King’s first fulltime job.
“He’s a good driver,” friend Eve Harper said. “He even lectures his mom to go slow and to watch out for deer.”
Family members said that King’s dream was to become a volunteer firefighter, Landers reported.
The driver of the truck, identified as Carl Dearth, was taken to a hospital and released.
