AKRON, Ohio — A driver charged after a fiery crash on State Route 8 that killed 18-year-old Jared Marcum was sentenced to house arrest after taking a plea deal, according to Akron Municipal Court records.
A 21-year-old man of Akron entered a guilty plea to vehicular manslaughter. His previous charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular homicide, failure to maintain assured clear distance and failure to control — all misdemeanor charges — were dismissed.
The fatal crash on Aug. 25, 2020 started after an unknown tractor-trailer had one of its tires blown out, which then caused a chain of events. According to police at the time of the crash, debris spread out across all lanes of the highway.
The 21-year-old man, who was driving a Honda at the time, swerved left, then right and struck Marcum’s Hyundai, which caused the Hyundai to hit a tanker truck. When the tanker veered off the road, Marcum's car was dragged along with it.
Moments later, the tanker ignited and stopped on the side of the road. According to police, Marcum was trapped in his car and died as a result of the crash. Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.
Marcum was a student at the University of Akron at the time of the crash.
The 21-year-old man was sentenced to 60 days of house arrest, 60 hours of community service, 2-year operator license suspension and one year of probation. According to court documents, he is permitted to work on house arrest. He was also ordered to pay $250 in court costs.
RELATED: Medical examiner identifies driver killed in fiery crash on Route 8 as 18-year-old from North Canton
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