By Kimberly Gasuras
CCN Reporter
NORWALK — An Athens man recently was indicted by a Huron County grand jury for his role in a fatal accident that claimed the life of a Bucyrus man.
William E. Brindle, 64, was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, vehicular homicide, a first-degree misdemeanor, vehicular manslaughter, a second-degree misdemeanor, and two counts of vehicular assault, both fourth-degree felonies.
The crash occurred Nov. 17, 2016, near Fitchville, when a tree-trimming company was working to trim trees near power lines on Ohio 13.
Zachary T. Warner, 34, of Bucyrus, died two days after the crash at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo.
Warner was one of three men injured when they were standing near two of the tree company’s vehicles, preparing to trim evergreens along the power lines, when a northbound commercial semi-tractor trailer driven by Brindle failed to stop and struck both tree company vehicles and the three men.
According to the Norwalk post of the Ohio Highway Patrol, the semi caught fire due to the impact of the crash. A flagger had been in place to guide traffic around the tree company vehicles that were parked in the northbound lane on Ohio 13, north of U.S. 224, but Brindle did not stop.
Calvin J. Hoover, then 50, of Tiffin, and Ryan A. Niedermeier, then 28, of Bucyrus, also were injured in the crash. Both men sustained serious injuries and Niedermeier was taken by medical helicopter from the scene to a Toledo hospital. Eventually, both men recovered while Brindle, who lived in Ashland at the time, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by North Central EMS to Fisher-Titus Medical Center.
Brindle is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Sept. 10 at 1 p.m. in Huron County Common Pleas Court in Norwalk.
The original report by Crawford County Now may be found here.