The fatal Interstate 71 crash that killed a 21-year-old Gahanna man has drawn attention from the nation’s top transportation official, who cited the case while calling for stricter enforcement of English-language requirements for commercial truck drivers.
In a July 7 post on X, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the victim, Tobias “Toby” Forsythe, was a goalkeeper for the University of Massachusetts Lowell men’s soccer team and that the crash highlights the need to keep unsafe commercial drivers off the road.
“Tobias ‘Toby’ Forsythe was just 21, a star goalie for the UMass Lowell soccer team with his whole life ahead of him,” Duffy wrote. “We cannot let truckers … who can’t read our road signs or speak to law enforcement, drive 80,000-pound rigs on America’s highways.”
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Forsythe was killed around 1:45 a.m. July 5 after a southbound semitrailer hit the back of his 2025 Honda Accord on Interstate 71 near mile marker 82 in Madison County. He died at the scene.
The driver of the semi, Bekhzod Asrarov, was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The crash remains under investigation.
Semitrailer driver accused of tampering with evidence
Prosecutors charged Asrarov with evidence tampering, a third-degree felony, after investigators alleged he removed a dashboard camera from his truck following the crash.
In his social media post, Duffy also alleged that the driver failed an English-language proficiency test, though he did not provide evidence to support the accusation, which The Dispatch could not immediately verify.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers used Google Translate to communicate with him.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has recently emphasized enforcement of federal English-language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers, saying the rules are intended to help ensure drivers can read road signs, understand safety instructions and communicate with law enforcement during traffic stops and crash investigations.
Forsythe, a Gahanna native, played goalkeeper for the University of Massachusetts Lowell men’s soccer team.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: U.S. Transportation Secretary cites fatal I-71 crash in push for trucking rules
Reporting by Amani Bayo, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Amani Bayo, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
