Truck driver’s license was suspended at time of fatal Hamilton crash

The driver of a concrete bucket truck that crashed into an SUV, killing a Hamilton woman, did not have a valid operator’s license, according to a police report obtained by this news outlet.

A concrete bucket truck traveling west on Ohio 129 near Fair Avenue last Friday rear-ended the SUV driven by Deanna Gilreath.

Gilreath’s Jeep Liberty burst into flames and the 58-year-old Hamilton woman was killed at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the Hamilton Police Department, but a preliminary report says the truck driver’s license was under suspension.

Gilreath was hit by a truck from Tri State Concrete, located on North Fifth Avenue in Hamilton, driven by Wayne Tracy Moore, 45, of Fairfield, according to the police report.

Moore did not have a valid operator’s license, according to the police report.

Hamilton Police Sgt. Brian Robinson told this news outlet that Moore’s license was under suspension. He did not know if Moore still had occupation driving privileges.

“That is all still being investigated,” Robinson said.

A call to Tri State Concrete seeking comment was not returned Wednesday.

The police report also indicates the truck’s brakes may have failed.

“Some issues with the brakes of the concrete truck” have been found by investigators, Robinson said.

The concrete truck is estimated to have been traveling 65 mph when it struck Gilreath’s SUV, according to police.

The posted speed limit on Ohio 129 at Fair Avenue is 35 mph.

After being hit by the concrete truck, Gilreath’s vehicle was pushed into the left curb where it caught fire, according to the report.

The concrete truck went into the median and around Gilreath’s vehicle, came back onto the road, and hit a pickup truck driven by Stephen Collins, 40, of Williamsburg, Ohio, according to the report.

Neither Moore nor Collins sustained serious injuries in the accident, Robinson said.

No charges have been filed against Moore, pending the completion of the investigation.

Gilreath was a nurse at Fort Hamilton Hospital and leaves behind a husband, two sons and grandchildren.

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