Columbus firefighter sentenced in fatal crash with motorist in Gahanna
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Columbus firefighter charged in the 2023 death of a motorist on an interstate in Gahanna received his sentence Monday.
On Monday, 25-year-old Tyler Conners pleaded no contest in Franklin County Municipal Court. Originally charged with one misdemeanor count of negligent, aggravated vehicular homicide/manslaughter, Conners received a sentence on a reduced charge of vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
That sentence was suspended, however, and replaced with two years of probation. His license was also suspended for two years and must perform 180 hours of community service and pay a $500 plus court fees.
The court decision is tied to a crash in July of 2023 when Conners operated a fire engine in a negligent manner, causing the death of 63-year-old Timothy Wiggins, according to a Gahanna Division of Police detective. The crash occurred on Interstate 270 and Hamilton Road, according to Franklin County Municipal Court records.
In a civil case against Conners, the Columbus Division of Fire and the Columbus Department of Public Safety, the prosecution asserts that Conners partially pulled the fire engine into an emergency turnaround, with the rear of the ending projecting into the northbound lane. Wiggins then reportedly collided with the back of the fire engine. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The division had previously named Conners as part of its 116th Recruit Class in an October 2022 Facebook post. He was placed on administrative leave after the crash.
A representative for the CFD said that at the conclusion of the trial an internal investigation would be conducted to determine if Conners violated any of its policies.