Jason Ramos

About Jason

Jason Ramos grew up in Brunswick, Ohio with his mother, Pat, father, Bill, and brothers Justin and Joshua.  Jason, the oldest of the three boys, was the glue that held everyone together.  His family was everything to him, and in his 36 years, even living away, he never missed a Christmas.

Jason received his bachelor's and associate degrees in hotel management from Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC.  He then went on to get his master's degree in higher education and student affairs from the University of South Carolina. 

When he got the Assistant Director for Residence Life position at Dalton State University, Jason settled in Dalton, GA.  While in this role, Jason helped start the Birdfeeder food bank program to aid his college students who were at risk for hunger.   Jason was incredibly proud of this program, and it continues to help fight hunger and aid students today.  Jason was a caring and involved member of his community.

Crash Description

On June 25, 2015, Jason was traveling from Georgia to Ohio, traveling northbound on Interstate 75 when a tractor trailer failed to slow down and stop for congested traffic in a construction zone and slammed into eight cars, killing six people, including Jason, and injuring several others.  The truck was estimated to have been traveling at approximately 70+ mph at the time of the crash.  The driver later would say that he tried to stop, but that his brakes failed. Through litigation the driver denied this and admitted that he fell asleep.

The driver was originally hired to make a delivery from Kentucky to Florida and back.  The driver left London, Kentucky to pick up his load in Horse Cave, Kentucky.  On his way to the pickup, he experienced mechanical problems.  These were addressed at the pickup location.  On his way to Florida, he began to experience additional mechanical problems that were addressed in London, Kentucky.  This delayed the load putting the truck driver behind schedule.  The driver then ran over his hours requirements to attempt an on-time delivery.  On the morning of June 24, the truck driver sideswiped a vehicle in Florida after he had been on duty for 45 hours straight. After dropping off his load, he took a break, but he was still beyond his hours requirements. He started back toward Kentucky at 4:30 a.m. on June 25th. He was over his hours once again on the return trip.  It would later be determined by a criminal court that at the time of the crash, the driver was on meth and suffering from sleep deprivation.

Life After the Crash

Jason’s family continues to feel his loss deeply as they try to make sense of their new normal. His mom, Pat says it is like trying to fill a void with shoes that were unfillable.  Pat, has since traveled to Washington D.C. with the Institute for Safer Trucking to share their story. She has become an effective educator about the benefits of automatic emergency braking, raising the minimum insurance required for interstate motor carriers, and requiring improved underride protections on trucks and trailers.  Pat hopes her advocacy can help others avoid the heartbreak she has had to endure. If not for someone else’s poor decision, this remarkable young man would be here contributing to society and helping educate college students through his career advancement.

Links

Stories of Courage: Patricia Ramos