AVON — An investigation into a crash involving an Avon police cruiser has been wrapped up and no one was cited.
On March 18, Avon police Officer Andy Kehl crashed into a utility truck in which an out-of-state independent contractor was working in an elevated bucket on phone lines in the 2800 block of state Route 83 about 2:40 a.m.
No one was injured during the crash, although Kehl and utility worker Mark Christmas both were taken to area hospitals as a precautionary measure.
The Ohio Highway Patrol was called in to investigate the incident.
Lt. Carlos Smith said Friday that after reviewing dash camera footage and taking photos and statements from Kehl and Christmas, it was determined Christmas was most at fault.
That particular stretch of Route 83 is very dark at night and not illuminated by street lights, and the Patrol said Christmas didn’t abide by Ohio Department of Transportation regulations while he was working during the early morning hours.
“He was illegally parked in a roadway,” Smith said. “Any time you’re doing utility work, regulations require flaggers and warning signs on both ends warning traffic work is being performed.”
Christmas wasn’t following any of the regulations, and his truck had illuminated beacons that could have been used but were not. Also, a right tail light on his truck wasn’t working, leaving only one tail light illuminated, Smith said.
“He only had a cone, which was a few feet away from the rear tire,” Smith said.
All of that made it difficult for Kehl to see the truck until he was right upon it, Smith said, leading to the conclusion that the crash wouldn’t have occurred had Christmas followed proper working regulations.
Smith said Kehl showed no signs of impairment at the time of the crash and he was asked if he was on a phone, using his mobile data terminal, tired or distracted before the crash occurred. Kehl answered all of those questions in the negative, Smith said.
Smith said the outcome could have been much worse, especially for Christmas.
“If this cop was on an emergency call going 70 mph and hit the truck there’s no doubt in my mind the worker would have fallen out of that bucket, and those utility lines are pretty high,” Smith said.
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