I-71 Crash: Driver Sentenced For Hitting Construction Workers

MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, OH — A Northeast Ohio woman has been sentenced for hitting two construction workers on I-71, killing one of the workers, prosecutors announced.

Sandra Tolliver, 33, was sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison. She previously pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, aggravated vehicular assault, failure to stop after an accident, and driving while under the influence.

“This victim was working on his birthday to provide for his family,” said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “He was tragically killed, and another victim was seriously injured, due to this individual’s selfish actions. Our thoughts remain with the victims’ families, friends, and coworkers.”

On Oct. 9, 2019, Tolliver drove through a construction zone on I-71, near the Snow Road exit. She hit both workers, throwing one worker underneath a truck parked on the shoulder, and dragging another worker for 1,200 feet before stopping, court documents said.

After hitting the workers, court documents said, Tolliver sped up and drove south on I-71, but another construction worker hopped into a car and followed her to a restaurant on Bagley Road in Middleburg Heights.

Police were then called to the construction zone and to the restaurant, where Tolliver was taken into custody, court documents said.

Tolliver's blood alcohol level was twice the legal limit, court documents said, and she had cannabinoids in her system at the time of the crash. Highway surveillance video captured the incident and linked her to the crime, court documents said.

Emergency medical services pronounced one of the workers dead on the scene and then rushed the other to the hospital. The worker taken to the hospital suffered broken bones in his face, legs and shoulder and needed staples in his head, court documents said.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Brook Park police and Middleburg Heights police led the investigation into the incident. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's office assisted law enforcement in the investigation.