Truck Driver Overdoses During Rush Hour on I-74

On Friday afternoon, truck driver Scott Kinmon, 28, overdosed on heroin while driving a tractor-trailer down Interstate 74 in Green Township, Ohio.

CPR

In a news release, from Green Township Police and the Hamilton County Sherrif’s Office, authorities report that when emergency response teams reached the scene of the accident Kinmon was receiving CPR on the ground.

Before the tractor-trailer could reach a complete stop, onlookers began calling 911 because they would tell that there was something very wrong with the driver.

One caller said, “There is a semi-truck, and he is bouncing back and forth, like hitting one side of the wall and then coming over.”

WCPO reports that Kinmon was already driving the truck when he ingested the heroin. He then completely lost consciousness behind the wheel and jackknifed his tractor-trailer – blocking all 4 lanes of traffic.

Another onlooker told 911, “He looks like he is as high as a kite.”

Wrong Way

After losing consciousness, Kinmon’s trailer began moving backward. Rolling to a stop, he struck the guardrail. Drivers in other cars reached Kinmon and pulled him from the cab.

A 911 caller said he was unconscious and drooling when they reached him, quickly stating, “He probably needs [Narcan], he looks like my neighbor that overdosed once.”

The police officers on the scene gave Kinmon Narcan and he became fully responsive. Kinmon was then taken to Mercy West Hospital.

Operating A Vehicle Under The Influence

Kinmon was not only charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, but also with failure to maintain control of his vehicle, and the operation of a commercial vehicle with under the influence of a controlled substance.

The judge set his bond at $320,000 Saturday morning.

This is not the first time that Kenman has been charged with drug-related crimes. On July 24, 2017, Kinmon was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

Drivers On Drugs

This year another very public incident involving a truck driver and drugs happened on July 12, 2017. Kristopher Phoenix, a fuel truck driver, overdosed with the motor of his truck running while sitting in the gas station parking lot.

“The most important reason to choose to drive drug-free has nothing to do with your CDL or your hiring prospects. It’s about your ability to look at yourself in the mirror. If you’re under the influence of drugs and you’re involved in a fatal crash, you’ll have to live with the fact that a person died at your hands for the rest of your life. Not to mention the fact that the legal ramifications are likely to be pretty severe.

Drugs or trucking. Not both. You make the call.”

Read more about a drug-free road here