Plow driver who caused 55 vehicles to crash on Ohio Turnpike won’t face criminal charges: report

A snowplow driver who caused dozens of vehicles to crash on the Ohio Turnpike earlier this year won’t be charged, according to a new report.

On Wednesday, a grand jury declined to indict snowplow driver Timothy S. Rakay on charges of inducing panic and aggravated vehicular assault, according to local outlet News 5 Cleveland.

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission fired Rakay in February for “engaging in grossly negligent behavior as to endanger life, property, public safety or otherwise cause the Commission to be liable for damage.”

“Further, you failed to responsibly perform duties that are within the proper scope of your position as a Maintenance Worker Class II Roadway employee,” Ferzan Ahmed, executive director of the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, wrote in a letter to the Rakay.

The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on January 23, 2022, on the Ohio Turnpike near Sandusky. Rakay was reportedly driving westbound at a high rate of speed on the inside lane, causing snow and ice to be forcefully sprayed across the median onto vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.

According to the report, dozens of vehicles crashed, more than 50 vehicles were damaged, and 18 people were hurt.

Truck driver Michael Lemon caught the incident on his dash cam.

You can see Ohio State Highway Patrol photos of some of the damaged vehicles below.