An Ohio man's assertion of being oblivious to the potential fatality caused by a loose tire from his truck was contradicted by a year-old jailhouse phone conversation unearthed by investigators, as per the police.
Lauren Collins, an 18-year-old student at the University of Kentucky, tragically lost her life after a loose tire careened across the concrete barrier on I-75 near the Ohio border, crashing through her windshield just after midnight on July 16, 2023, as reported by the Boone County Sheriff's Office.
Following the incident, 37-year-old Ricky A. Raider voluntarily approached the Independence Police Department six days later, confessing that he had lost a tire on the interstate over the previous weekend but was under the impression that it had not struck anyone, according to a press release issued on June 21.
However, a recorded phone call between Raider and a female inmate at the Bullitt County Detention Center, located around 100 miles away from the police department, revealed a different narrative of the collision, potentially exposing the driver to legal repercussions.
On the night of the fatal accident, Raider disclosed to the female caller that a tire had detached from his 1993 Ford F-250 earlier that evening, the Boone County Sheriff's Office detailed.
He admitted to the inmate that he had witnessed the tire colliding with Collins' vehicle and was aware that the impact likely resulted in injury or death to someone.
Raider confessed to retrieving the tire, which had come to a halt along the concrete barrier between the north and southbound lanes, reattaching it to his truck using lug nuts pilfered from other wheels, and then fleeing the scene.
Maj. Philip Ridgell of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office disclosed that Raider was indicted on charges of leaving the scene of an accident/failure to render aid with death or serious physical injury, along with one count of persistent felony offender 1st offense on June 4.
He was subsequently incarcerated at the Boone County Jail on June 12, where he remains in custody on a $40,000 bond, as per online jail records. Raider sought a public defender during his court appearance on Wednesday, with his next court date scheduled for July 24.
