Man gets 30 days in jail, probation in accidental death of Cincinnati native who fell from truck

A New Lebanon man was sentenced to 30 days in the Montgomery County Jail and up to five years of community control in connection with the death of a University of Dayton student.

Kyler Carlile, 31, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor failure to stop after an accident and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vehicular homicide. He will be allowed to serve the 30 days in jail on weekends, the prosecutor’s office said.

Carlile was charged in connection with an incident that led to the death of 19-year-old Michael Currin, a Cincinnati-area freshman studying business at UD.

Carlile and two passengers were in a pickup truck on Wayne Avenue when they saw Currin walking along the roadway. Currin had left campus to pick up a food order at around 3:30 a.m., authorities said.

Carlile and the passengers offered Currin a ride, the prosecutor’s office said, and Currin climbed into the bed of the truck.

“The defendant drove to the home of one of the passengers. When they arrived, the defendant and his passengers noticed the victim was no longer in the back of the truck,” prosecutors said.

Carlile drove back the way he came and passed the victim, who was in the roadway, clearly injured, prosecutors said.

“Instead of stopping and offering the victim aid and assistance or calling 911 to report the injury, as required by law, the defendant drove away,” according to a release from the prosecutor’s office. “The victim died three days later as a result of his injuries. The autopsy determined the victim suffered blunt-force trauma consistent with either falling or jumping from a moving vehicle. The coroner ruled the death an accident.”

Carlile’s attorney, Christopher Deal, previously released a statement via email to the Dayton Daily News.

“What happened to Michael Currin on September 20, 2020, was an unexpected tragedy, our hearts go out to all of his loved ones and friends,” Deal said. “What I can tell you is that after a long and thorough investigation by the Dayton Police Department, Michael’s death was ruled an accident, and from what I do know, I can honestly say that my client did not know when Michael fell out of the back of the pickup truck that 20th day of September.”

Along with the jail time and community control, Carlile’s driver’s license was suspended for two years and he was ordered to pay more than $22,000 in restitution.

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