Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 6:45 p.m. to correct the bond amount to $500,000.
DELAWARE COUNTY — A semi-truck driver charged with aggravated vehicular homicide in connection with a fatal crash on Interstate 71 was given a $500,000 cash surety bond during a Monday hearing in Delaware County Common Pleas Court.
Modou Ngom, 50, of Columbus, was also ordered not to drive if he posts bail. If he remains in custody, he will continue to be held in the Delaware County Jail, where he has been since his arrest Saturday.
Ngom is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at 3 p.m. April 21. The hearing will be canceled if a grand jury returns an indictment before then.
If convicted, Ngom could face 12 to 60 months in prison on the felony charge. State prosecutors said additional charges are expected, which could increase potential penalties.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ngom was traveling northbound on I-71 on Saturday when the semi-truck failed to stop while approaching backed-up traffic in a construction zone.
The truck then crashed into several stopped vehicles from behind just before 6:30 p.m. near the Tanger Outlets Columbus shopping mall, which resulted in a nine-vehicle accident that shutdown I-71 in Delaware County for several hours.
Three people were killed: a 36-year-old woman, a 37-year-old man and a 1-year-old child, all from Ashley.
According to a Columbus Dispatch article, Dublin Veterinarian Dr. Lynnea Soposki, husband Luke Soposki and their 1-year-old child were the victims. Delaware Source was not able to independently verify that information.
Delaware County Coroner’s assistant Charles Carlson said their office has not identified the victims yet due to the fact there was a fire that ignited as a result of the crash.
That means the coroner must identify the victims through other means involving DNA testing, which will take a few days, Carlson said.
Three others were injured in the crash and were taken to nearby hospitals for serious, but not life-threatening injuries, according to OSHP.
The crash occurred within an active construction zone for the Sunbury Parkway interchange project, which began last year.
Matt Bruning, press secretary for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said the agency will review the crash once it receives a report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
“We look at circumstances and what, if anything, could be done to mitigate that crash from occurring,” Bruning said.
The project includes a new interchange and a 4.3-mile east-west roadway known as Sunbury Parkway, aimed at easing congestion in the area.
Bruning did not immediately know how many crashes have happened at the site during construction.
