Transportation secretary sounds off on fatal crash that killed Gahanna graduate

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A semi driver charged in a fatal weekend crash in Madison County is now drawing the ire of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. According to the Madison County Sheriff's Office, Bekhzod Asrarov, 42, was heading southbound at 1:30 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 71 in a 2020 Freightliner Cascadia when he struck the rear of a gray 2025 Honda Accord driven by Tobias Forsythe, 21. The Honda was propelled through the median cable barrier and came to rest in the northbound lanes south of the exit for State Route 56 near Mount Sterling. Medics at the scene pronounced Forsythe dead at the scene, and Asrarov was taken to a Columbus hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A deputy noted that the semi’s dash camera was missing from the mount on the front windshield. Using a translator, the deputy asked Asrarov, who was being evaluated in an ambulance, where the camera was. The deputy seized Asrarov’s dash cam, along with three phones and a tablet, as evidence for an investigation. Asrarov later requested a lawyer through Google Translate. The investigation into what led to the crash is still under investigation and Asrarov, who did provide his Ohio CDL license, was arrested on one count of tampering with evidence. The crash was noticed nationally, prompting a response from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on social media. "We cannot let truckers like Asrarov, who can't read our road signs or speak to law enforcement, drive 80,000-pound rigs on America’s highways," Duffy wrote. Forsythe, a Gahanna graduate and college soccer goalkeeper had just transferred to UMass Lowell, which has yet to begin its fall season. Forsythe spent one season at Shawnee State and compiled a 7-5-5 record, allowing 1.38 goals per game, including two shutouts. He also spent two seasons as Ashland University, playing with the reserve team. Asrarov is scheduled to appear in court Friday.