Truck driver accused in I-71 crash that killed family of three set for September trial
A Columbus truck driver accused of causing an Interstate 71 crash that killed a Delaware County family of three is scheduled to stand trial later this month.
Modou Fall Ngom, 50, is scheduled for trial Sept. 22 through Sept. 25 in Delaware County Common Pleas Court, according to the Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ngom faces three counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and four counts of vehicular assault stemming from the April 11 crash. He has pleaded not guilty.
Authorities said Ngom was driving a Freightliner northbound on I-71 near the U.S. Route 36 interchange when he failed to stop for traffic backed up in a construction zone, triggering a nine-vehicle crash.
Luke Soposki, 37, his wife, Lynnea Soposki, 36, and their 1-year-old son, Logan, were killed. Three other people were injured.
The case drew additional scrutiny after an investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Ohio State Highway Patrol uncovered conflicting information about Ngom’s identity in state and federal records.
Ohio Department of Public Safety Director Andy Wilson said investigators found evidence that Ngom entered the United States in the 1990s and later used multiple names and dates of birth to obtain state and federal identification.
Investigators allege Ngom fraudulently obtained an Ohio driver’s license around 2003 and a commercial driver’s license in 2007 under an alternate identity. State officials said he was later naturalized as a U.S. citizen under the same identity before changing his name back to Modou Ngom in 2015.
Wilson directed state investigators to turn their findings over to Homeland Security Investigations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio and Delaware County Prosecutor’s Office were also notified.
The case comes as state and federal officials have increased scrutiny of commercial driver’s licenses and fraud in the trucking industry.
Federal officials announced a new interagency enforcement effort Aug. 31 targeting fraud involving commercial driver’s licenses, driving schools, trucking companies and employers. Homeland Security Investigations said the effort included more than 200 driving schools across 23 states.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also announced the removal of more than 110 training providers from its Training Provider Registry and proposed removing more than 160 others as part of the broader enforcement effort.
As Ohio.News previously reported, the Ohio BMV began reviewing approximately 5,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s license holders this year following concerns about whether some licenses complied with federal requirements.
The state later notified approximately 1,200 drivers that their commercial driving privileges would be downgraded as part of the initial review.
The Republican National Committee pointed to the federal crackdown this week while criticizing Democratic U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Greg Landsman on immigration and commercial driver enforcement.
“Going to soccer practice or taking a family road trip shouldn’t be a life-or-death situation at the hands of illegal immigrants,” RNC spokesman Hunter Lovell said. “Every family deserves to know that the cars driven next to them are operated by trained, qualified people who speak English and know the rules of the road.”
Lovell said President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, were working to close what he called “dangerous loopholes,” while accusing Kaptur and Landsman of opposing stronger enforcement.
Ngom remains charged in connection with the April crash, and the identity and licensing allegations are separate from the criminal charges stemming from the collision. His trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 22.
