A man has been charged in the death of a northern Kentucky teenager who died after a loose tire crashed through her vehicle’s windshield on I-75 in Boone County.
The initial investigation showed that “another vehicle, possibly a dually pickup truck, was traveling northbound on I-75 when its tire suddenly broke away, causing it to roll out of control and over the concrete barrier, where it ultimately struck Collins’ vehicle,” the sheriff’s office said.
Collins was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where she was pronounced deceased.
Six days later, 37-year-old Ricky A. Raider, of Cincinnati, “made himself known to law enforcement after reporting himself to the Independence Police Department,” according to the sheriff’s office. “Raider admitted that day that ‘he lost a tire on the interstate over the past weekend but didn’t believe his tire had hit anyone.’”
Several months later, the Boone County Sheriff’s Office obtained a phone conversation between Raider and a female inmate at the Bullitt County Detention Center that took place on the day of the accident.
During the recorded conversation, Raider is accused of admitting that he was traveling north on I-75 when a tire came off his 1993 Ford F-250.
“Raider went on to say that he witnessed the tire collide with Collins’ vehicle and knew that the collision likely resulted in someone being hurt or killed,” the sheriff’s office said.
After the tire struck Collins’ vehicle, it came to rest near the concrete barrier that separates the north and southbound interstate. Raider then retrieved the tire and remounted it onto his truck.
Raider was arrested earlier this month and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or serious physical injury, a class D felony, and first-degree persistent felony offender. He was lodged in the Boone County Detention Center on a $40,000 cash bond.
(Photo l-r: Ricky A. Raider, Lauren A, Collins, courtesy of Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Homes)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
