MORAINE — A Montgomery County Jail inmate working a litter clean-up project is dead after being involved in a chain-reaction crash on southbound I-75 in Montgomery County Monday morning, Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said.
>> RELATED: Dayton man, 52, identified as inmate hit and killed on I-75 while working on litter crew
The inmate was identified Monday night at 52-year-old Tim Tufano, his son Andrew told News Center 7′s Molly Koweek in an interview from his home.
At a news conference Monday afternoon, Sheriff Streck confirmed the inmate, who at that time had not been identified by name, was killed in the crash on southbound I-75 between Edwin C. Moses Boulevard and Springboro Pike about 11 a.m. The highway reopened about 4:30 p.m.
Also injured in the crash were three other inmates and one sheriff’s deputy, Streck said at the news conference. The other inmates and deputy were taken to a hospital and have since been treated and released.
>>PHOTOS: ‘Major accident’ with several injuries shuts-down southbound I-75 for hours Monday
Two other inmates were not hurt and were returned to the jail, where they will receive mental health counseling.
The crash occurred when a box truck hit the back of the marked sheriff’s office van, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol Staff Lt. Geoff Freeman. The van was pulled over on the right side of the road with its lights on.
At the time of the crash, the inmates were believed to be outside of the van. Streck noted that the sheriff’s deputy was in the van when it was hit.
After the truck hit the van, it continued across the left side of the interstate and hit a concrete barrier. It was then hit by a sedan and a white pickup truck. The drivers of those three vehicles were treated on scene.
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After the deputy involved called in the crash, a county-wide officer needs assistance alert was issued because to the seriousness of the call. Several crews from area law enforcement agencies arrived on I-75 and worked to help get vehicles in the backup off the interstate.
The state patrol was called to lead the crash investigation. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will conduct an internal investigation because the death happened while the inmate was in custody. Streck said that at this time, it did not appear that any protocols were violated.
Streck said the inmates are part of the (Montgomery County) Solid Waste Litter Program, which is a volunteer program. As a result of the Monday’s incident, the program will be temporarily paused.
Video from the scene showed that the box truck bore logos of the Aramark company.
“Our hearts go out to everyone involved and we’re cooperating fully with the investigation,” an Aramark spokesperson said in a statement to News Center 7.
This is a developing story and we will update this story as we learn more.