SANDUSKY, Ohio — An Ohio Turnpike snowplow truck driver will not face criminal charges after being fired for his “grossly negligent behavior” during a snowstorm in January when he drove his vehicle at a high rate of speed, spraying snow and ice into oncoming traffic, which caused 55 cars to crash.
Erie County Prosecutor Kevin Baxter confirmed to News 5 that the matter was presented to a grand jury Wednesday for charges including inducing panic and two counts of aggravated vehicular assault. The jury declined to indict the driver.
The driver was fired by the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission in February; the incident occurred on Jan. 23.
The crashes happened just before 2 p.m. as the driver was heading west near State Route 250 in Erie County. While allegedly driving at a high rate of speed, he sent snow and ice flying across a median divider into opposing lanes. The driver was caught on a dashcam that showed him keeping pace with other cars on the highway.
New video shows the force of the slush coming from an @OhioTurnpike plow on Sunday — forcing a semi to jackknife off the roadway. pic.twitter.com/UkHHZz50v5
— Clay LePard (@ClayLePard) January 26, 2022
Following the incident, the driver was placed on administrative leave.
The Ohio Turnpike called what happened an "isolated incident" involving a single snowplow driver and is not representative of its employees or its operations.
RELATED: Ohio Turnpike fires driver who damaged dozens of vehicles, injured nearly 20 people while plowing
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