A jury trial will continue today for Eric D. Maher, a 34-year-old Kentucky man indicted in April for aggravated vehicular homicide.
Maher appeared in the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas Wednesday with his attorney Jeffrey McCormick.
Jess Weade, Fayette County Prosecutor, represented the state of Ohio.
Maher was traveling northbound on U.S. 62 Sept. 24, 2015 when the 2004 Peterbilt tractor-trailer he was operating overturned on a curve entering the Village of Staunton.
Dale E. Patton, 68, of Washington C.H., was driving southbound on U.S. 62 in a red Jeep Cherokee. Patton’s Jeep went off the right side of the highway and struck a guardrail. Patton suffered critical injuries and died after being transported by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
During the trial, deputies from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office who responded to the crash were called into the courtroom to testify as witnesses, including Lt. Ryan McFarland, who was the crash scene re-constructionist.
Donald Rack, a trooper from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Department of Transportation inspector for commercial vehicles, responded to the crash and gave testimony of the inspection of the overturned tractor-trailer.
The owner of the tractor-trailer, Shane Middleton, of Morehead, Ky., was called as a witness. He stated that he owned two tractor-trailers and Maher was his only employee.
Maher testified as well and said he had slowed down approaching the curve and heard a “thud” noise before the tractor-trailer began to overturn.
With all of the evidence presented today, the five-woman, seven-man jury will reconvene this morning at 8 a.m. per jury instructions.
