COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus woman was indicted on charges related to a crash that killed a woman who was volunteering for Meals on Wheels last year.
Amanda Hitt was charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, drug or a combination of both and failure to stop after an accident.
The charges stem from the east Columbus crash on Nov. 26, 2023, that left 46-year-old Aimee Burbacher dead.
Hitt, who was driving a 2004 Honda Accord, pulled up next to a 2011 Chevrolet Impala in east Columbus, according to a crash report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. She was in the left-turning lane to go north on Brice Road from Chatterton Road.
The crash report states that Hitt cut in front of the Impala and sideswiped the driver’s side mirror and the driver of the Impala stopped. The driver's mother, who was driving behind her, got out of her vehicle to talk with Hitt.
Hitt struck and ran over the mother before she headed east on Refugee Road at a high rate of speed, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The crash report states that Hitt made a U-turn and began driving west on Chatterton Road. Burbacher was in a 2018 Honda Pilot turning east onto the road from Fleet Drive. LIfeCare Alliance told 10TV that she was delivering meals for Meals on Wheels.
Hitt struck Burbacher’s vehicle on the side as she was turning. Burbacher was ejected from her vehicle when it rolled and struck a fence before stopping.
Hitt’s vehicle came to a rest facing west in the eastbound lanes of Chatterton Road.
The crash report states that Hitt was taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital with fractures in her leg, neck and back.
Burbacher was taken to the same hospital and later died.
Burbacher had been volunteering with Meals on Wheels for about a year before her death, and was a devoted volunteer, according to LifeCare Alliance President & CEO Chuck Gehring.
When the crash happened, Hitt was cited for operating without a license and failure to stop. In February, a Franklin County grand jury issued an indictment against Hitt in February.
She pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was given a $50,000 bond.
Hitt was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, but her case was continued to July 30.
