Girard dispatcher killed in I-80 crash with salt truck

AUSTINTOWN — A Girard police dispatcher died early Wednesday morning when the car he was driving crashed into the back of an Ohio Department of Transportation salt truck on Interstate 80.

Thomas Zuppo, 47, of Girard, worked as a dispatcher for the city for 11 years, according to a release from the Girard Police Department. Zuppo was driving a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix east on Interstate 80 at “a high rate of speed” just after midnight on Wednesday when he rear-ended the salt truck, according to a release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The car was lodged under the salt truck and caught on fire, according to the release.

A 42-year-old Boardman man who was driving the salt truck was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center to be treated for minor injuries, said patrol Sgt. Nakia Hendrix. Zuppo was pronounced dead at the scene.

The department does not believe weather was a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation, Hendrix said.

Read more in Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com