HAMILTON - A teen driver whose speed was estimated at 95 mph-103 mph in a crash that killed one teen and injured another pleaded guilty to felony charges on Monday.

        Ryan Tulino, 17, of West Chester Township pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide and vehicular assault in Butler County Juvenile Court. The charges stem from a June 11 wreck at Interstate 75 and the Michael A. Fox Highway (Ohio 129) in Liberty Township.

        Lamenting the recent rash of serious and fatal crashes involving teen drivers, Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper said: “There isn't any good side to a prosecution like this one, even if it's successful.

        “The legal process really doesn't help the healing and the hurt when you've lost a loved one,” he said. “(He) has now learned, as the result of his guilty plea, that there is going to be responsibility and accountability for driving carelessly. Now the real question is: Will some other young people learn from this? And can we prevent future heartache and future loss?”

        Mr. Tulino is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 9. He faces at least six months in a state juvenile facility on each charge, but could be held until his 21st birthday, said Assistant Prosecutor Greg Stephens.

        The crash killed Stephen M. Ferry, 18, of Cincinnati.

        Jamie L. Buchanan, also 18, of West Chester Township, suffered a head injury that landed her in a coma for 1 1/2 weeks and kept her hospitalized for about a month.

        Mr. Tulino's attorney, Tom Heekin Jr., did not return a telephone call seeking comment Monday.

        One of the last things Ms. Buchanan says she remembers before the crash: She and Mr. Ferry were both screaming for Mr. Tulino to slow down as he floored the gas pedal on the red 1993 Honda Civic.

        “He would just ignore us,” she said, adding that at one point she glanced at the speedometer and was horrified to see it register 117 mph. “I was scared for my life.”

        Traveling at least twice the suggested speed limit of 45 mph, the car left Ohio 129 eastbound on a curving ramp that connects to Interstate 75 southbound, officials said. The Honda went out of control and slid on the wet roadway, through the median and into the path of a northbound tractor-trailer. The car was crushed.

        Mr. Ferry, a backseat passenger, wasn't wearing a seatbelt;

        Ms. Buchanan, a front-seat passenger, said she thinks she and Mr. Tulino survived only because they were wearing seatbelts.

        Ms. Buchanan said she also thinks that Mr. Tulino, whom she had just met that day, was “showing off.”

        Mr. Tulino, who turned 16 in March 2001, had been cited for a lane violation in a crash in October 2001 in West Chester, Mr. Stephens said.

        Ms. Buchanan said she has given speeches to area high school students since the crash.

        Her message: “Be careful when you're out on the road. Wear your seat belt. Obey the law. Because if you don't, you could end up like me.”

Convention expansion deals done
Highways overloaded, underfunded
Man gets jail in 9-11 fraud
'Ribs King' to get street name
Taft, Hagan agree to 3 debates
PULFER: Menopause Day - a holiday we can do without
City might not have monitor in time
Lawsuit filed vs. police, Enquirer
Nelson eligible to run
Part-time profesors begin union campaign
Russian teachers get lesson in learning
You Asked For It
Good News: Farm visit trip into lost lifestyle
Local Digest
Teen pleads guilty in fatal high-speed crash
Three indicted in Mason car crash
Woman devoted to training assistance dogs
Congrats
Murder-suicide suspected
School must report 'hit list'
Turfway ramp closing impedes traffic
Candidates say spying uncovered
Petition demands Patton resign
Kentucky Digest
Priests receive threatening letters