A chilling incident eerily reminiscent of a “Final Destination” movie has shocked the community in Northern Kentucky. Ricky A. Raider from Cincinnati faces serious charges after a fatal accident involving his vehicle’s tire led to the death of 18-year-old college student Lauren A. Collins.
The horrifying event occurred on July 16, 2023, when a tire from Raider’s 1993 Ford F-250 unexpectedly detached while he was driving on I-75. The loose tire tragically struck Collins’s car as she was driving southbound near the Ohio border. This event seemed to be plucked straight from a thriller, with the type of bizarre and elaborate accidents that famously populate the “Final Destination” film series.
Following the incident, Raider did not stay on the scene. He later confessed during a recorded phone call to an inmate at the Bullitt County jail that he was aware of the immediate danger the tire posed. Raider’s admission came chillingly clear in the call, where he described the aftermath of the accident: “It smashed somebody’s f**king window, and it like smashed their whole f**king car. I don’t know if they died; I don’t know what happened.”
Despite witnessing the extensive damage and the arrival of emergency response teams, Raider admitted, “There were cops and ambulances everywhere, and s**t, they didn’t see, I guess, they weren’t paying attention to me f**king putting my wheel back on and driving off. I mean, it could have f**king killed them; I don’t know if it killed them or if it hit them or what; I didn’t stick around to f**king find out.”
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office has since confirmed Raider’s arrest and his charges through a press release issued on June 21. Raider is currently held at the Boone County Detention Center with a bail set at $40,000 cash. His charges include one count of Leaving the Scene of an Accident/Failure to render aid with death or serious physical injury, a class D felony, and one count of persistent felony offender 1st degree.
This tragic accident not only highlights the dangers of vehicle disrepair but also the grave consequences of evading responsibility at the scene of an accident. The community mourns the loss of a young life, and the legal proceedings are awaited with great interest.