Coroner identifies car fire victim
Oct. 5—JEFFERSON — Using dental records, the Ashtabula County Coroner's Office on Tuesday identified the man who died Thursday after his vehicle hit a tractor trailer on Interstate 90 and burst into flames.
Kenneth L. Skiles, 60, of Montpelier, Ohio, was the driver who was unable to escape the burning vehicle, said Keith Stewart, an investigator with the Coroner's Office.
Dental records were obtained from a dental office in Summerville, S.C., Stewart said.
The accident occurred after a tractor trailer entered the eastbound lane of I-90 from the Route 7 interchange, authorities said.
While attempting to pass the tractor trailer, Skiles, who was towing an enclosed trailer, struck the back corner of the tractor trailer and lost control of his vehicle, authorities said.
Skiles died at the scene from smoke inhalation, heat and burns, according to the preliminary autopsy report.
The tractor trailer driver was not injured, according to police reports.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol temporarily closed I-90 eastbound Thursday night.
Conneaut police and fire departments, as well as the Springfield (Pa.) Fire Department, responded to the crash.
