Kent man indicted in crash that killed passenger, injured another
A Kent man is facing felony charges in connection with a January crash that killed a passenger in his car and injured a Spectrum truck driver in Kent.
A grand jury has indicted Albert Carmen Ditomaso, 50, with second-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide, two counts of third-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide, a single count of fourth-degree felony vehicular assault, three counts of operating a vehicle under the influence and a minor misdemeanor citation of assured clear distance ahead.
The indictment alleges Ditomaso's blood alcohol content level at the time of the crash was 0.238%, nearly three times the 0.08% legal limit.
According to a Kent Police crash report, Ditomaso was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu eastbound on Lake Street when the car crashed into the rear of a Spectrum truck parked on the south side of the road, just east of Edgewood Drive, at 8:46 p.m. Jan. 22. The report does not include an estimate of how fast the Malibu was traveling in the 35 mph zone, but the report says both vehicles sustained disabling damage. A photo provided by Kent police in January shows severe damage to the vehicles.
Police said the Malibu's passenger, William A. Williams, 55, of Kent, was declared dead at the scene. Kent EMS took the truck's driver, a 33-year-old Akron man, to Summa Health System's Akron Campus and Ditomaso to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital. Both suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries, police said.
In a written statement, the truck's driver said he was at the truck's rear door getting equipment when he heard a vehicle "accelerating" behind him. He turned and saw the car, which the ran into the back of the truck. The impact caused the driver to be "launched from the back door of the truck," the driver wrote.
A woman living nearby also provided a statement that said she was outside and saw a car "speeding down the street," and then heard the truck's driver scream immediately before the collision. The woman said she ran over to the driver, told him not to move and called 911. She said she tried to check on the car's occupants, but did not get a response, although she did see some movement.
In the indictment, it is specified that for one of the third-degree felony aggravated vehicular homicide charges, Ditomaso was allegedly driving "recklessly."
The indictment was filed Friday in Portage County Common Pleas Court, and a warrant has been issued for Ditomaso's arrest, according to court records.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Man indicted in crash that killed one man, injured another in Kent
