Madison Andrews was just 23, less than two years removed from Marysville High School and fresh off earning three bachelor's degrees, when a semi-truck slammed into her Honda Pilot at a rural Logan County intersection. She died 10 days later, and now her family is demanding that Ohio lawmakers rewrite the penalties for the kind of crash that killed her.
The crash happened on May 16, 2026, at the intersection of County Road 26 and County Road 124 in Bokescreek Township, according to WSYX, which reported that a 2023 Peterbilt semi driven by Calvin Isaiah Ruffin struck Andrews's 2019 Honda Pilot after Ruffin failed to yield at a stop sign. The Marysville News, citing Ohio State Highway Patrol records, reported the collision occurred at 3:52 p.m. when the southwest-bound semi failed to yield and hit the oncoming SUV. Andrews's SUV was heavily damaged, and the semi caught fire at the scene, per the station's report.
Andrews's brother, J.R. Andrews, said he received a fire department call about the crash and later described his sister as “the best big sister he could ask for,” the station's report notes. Andrews died on May 26, 2026, at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, according to funeral records published by Stofcheck-Ballinger Funeral Home.
A Graduate's Life Cut Short
Andrews graduated from Marysville High School in 2021 and went on to earn three bachelor's degrees from Muskingum University in May 2024, in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, and Marketing, according to the funeral home's obituary records. At the time of the crash, she worked at Marion General Hospital, the same account notes. Her family established a memorial fund at Richwood Bank in her honor to support local advocacy and community programs, per the obituary.
Ruffin, a 45-year-old Cincinnati resident, was arraigned Tuesday on misdemeanor charges including vehicular manslaughter, according to the same report. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond; his next court date is set for September 21. Ruffin is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty. Members of the Andrews family wore red t-shirts reading #MaddieStrong to the arraignment, the station's report indicates.
Why the Charge Is a Misdemeanor
Standard vehicular manslaughter in Ohio is a second-degree misdemeanor carrying a maximum jail sentence of up to 90 days, according to Ohio law cited in the report. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 2903.06(A)(4), a fatal crash that results strictly from a minor misdemeanor traffic violation — such as failing to yield at a stop sign — is classified this way, carrying that 90-day cap, a fine up to $750, and a mandatory license suspension, according to the Joslyn Law Firm. Prosecutors cannot elevate the charge to a first-degree misdemeanor or a felony without establishing evidence of negligence, recklessness, or impairment, the same source explains.
Bobbi Andrews, Madison's mother, said people who take a loved one's life should serve time, according to the station's report. The family is pushing for tougher penalties and more thorough commercial-driver background checks, hoping their advocacy prevents another family from experiencing the same loss.
Lawsuit Points to a Lengthy Court History
In July, the Andrews family filed a civil lawsuit against Ruffin and his logistics employer, and the wrongful death case — filed by Bobbi Andrews on behalf of Madison Andrews's estate — landed in the Logan County Court of Common Pleas in August, according to reporting by the Marysville Journal-Tribune. The suit alleges the logistics company was negligent in selecting Ruffin for the delivery, and it cites dozens of previous court cases involving Ruffin dating back to 1996, spanning 104 pages of records, per the station's report. Those prior cases include allegations involving felony assaults, traffic violations, and drug offenses, though Ruffin holds a valid commercial driver's license. The civil lawsuit remains pending.
That gap between Ruffin's extensive court history and his ability to keep driving reflects federal rules governing commercial licensing. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations under 49 CFR Part 391 require motor carriers to review a commercial driver's three-year driving safety record and perform annual motor vehicle record checks, but the rules do not mandate general non-driving criminal record exclusions for non-hazardous CDL operators, according to the agency's regulations. Separately, 49 CFR Part 383.51 sets mandatory disqualification periods for major traffic offenses, hit-and-run incidents, or felonies committed using a commercial vehicle, but it does not automatically disqualify drivers over prior non-vehicular felony convictions.
A County Already Seeing More Deadly Crashes
Logan County recorded 740 vehicle crashes and six traffic fatalities in 2025, a 50% jump in deaths from four fatalities in 2024, even as total collisions fell 7%, according to Ohio Department of Transportation data compiled by ThatCarHitMe. Statewide, 36% of distracted and failure-to-yield collisions occur at intersections, with the highest share of fatal crashes happening on 55 mph rural routes, according to Ohio State Highway Patrol data reported by Peak of Ohio.
Bobbi Andrews said more thorough background checks should be required for commercial truck drivers, and the family wants Ohio law changed so the punishment fits the crime, according to the station's reporting. Their push comes as similar cases surface elsewhere in the state; Hoodline previously reported on a fatal Huron County stop-sign crash that raised the same vehicular manslaughter statute. For now, the Andrews family is watching two tracks move forward at once: Ruffin's criminal case, capped by the misdemeanor statute, and their civil suit, which argues the real failure happened before Ruffin ever got behind the wheel that day.
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