The court provided Hiler headphones so that he could hear Judge Robert Fischer during sentencing in the criminal case stemming from the death of Fred Carmack Jr., 74, of Morrow.
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The victim’s son said he, his sister and his father all lived within miles of each other.
“Our world was turned upside down that day,” Fred Carmack III said during the hearing.
“He was killed a half-mile from his house. It’s very surreal. I can’t accept to this day that it’s happened.”
The family and lawyers for the Fischer Auto Parts, owners of the car Hiler was driving and for which Hiler made deliveries, were still in negotiations, according to the son.
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“I have no memory of anything that day,” Hiler said, after saying he felt very badly about what happened.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Hiler was headed northeast on Ohio 132 in a 2018 Chevrolet Sonic when he ran the stop sign and crashed into the northwest-bound 2006 Chevrolet Impala driven by Carmack at 11:47 a.m. on Feb. 14.
The vehicles went off the side of the road, and Carmack’s struck a post for an Ohio 132 sign. He died en route to Bethesda Arrow Springs, according to the crash report.
Reports indicated neither driver was wearing a seat belt.
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No medical helicopter was available due to the weather conditions, according to the report.
Hiler also was badly injured and lost his job as a result of the crash, according to his lawyer, WM. Stewart Matthews II.
Fischer said he ordered maximum fines ($900) and would have considered jail time but felt the county jail was full of people charged with or serving time for intentionally committing crimes.
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