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Car Accidents: Marijuana involved in triple fatality crash

Aug 27, 2014 | Car Accidents

The Ohio State Highway Patrol post responsible for investigating car accidents near Alexandria, Ohio has released new information about a fatal crash in June. According to the OSHP, the 16-year old driver of the car that crashed into a tree had used marijuana prior to the crash. The three back seat passengers in the vehicle were killed.

The toxicology report obtained by the OSHP indicates that the level of marijuana in the teen driver’s system may have exceeded Ohio’s legal limit by more than nine times. The State Highway Patrol turned the toxicology reports over the Licking County Prosecutor’s Office.

No charges have been filed at this time against Jaylynn Rigio, the driver of the vehicle. Ken Oswalt, Licking County Prosecutor, stated that the decision as to whether to prosecute might not be made for weeks.

Oswalt said “Now that we have an answer as to what was in his system, we need to determine what effect it had on him.”

In addition to the evidence of marijuana use, the State Highway Patrol’s investigation shows that the teen was driving on the two-lane rural road at excessive speeds – estimated to be between 76 and 82 miles per hour – when the car flipped and crashed into a tree. The 2003 Mitsubishi Diamante, owned by the teen’s grandmother, was totally demolished. The vehicle split in half upon impact with the tree, propelling the back half of the vehicle into a yard.

Rigio had five teenaged passengers in his vehicle. Three teens in the backseat died in the crash. The front seat passenger survived but sustained serious injuries. Because the 16-year old driver had only received his operator’s license two months before the crash, he was in violation of Ohio law regarding the number of passengers he was permitted to transport. Unless a parent of the teen driver is in the vehicle, a 16-year old driver may not have more than one passenger.

The Ohio personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List have represented numerous individuals who have been injured or killed in car accidents. If you or a loved one have suffered personal injury or wrongful death caused by the negligence of another driver, call the experienced attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List.