Father of two becomes organ donor after fatal crash on I-275

COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) – A family is remembering a man killed in a crash on I-275 as a loving brother and father.

Todd Rutledge died in a three-car crash.

The incident occurred around midnight on Saturday, closing part of the highway for several hours. He was driving home to pick up his children. Rutledge, 46, was the father of a six-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy.

He left home around 7 p.m. and was returning from a motorcycle club event in Indiana.

Rutledge’s sister said his goal was to support the biker community and pick up kids so he could take them trick-or-treating the next morning. She added that he was not riding a motorcycle at the time, but as a passenger in a friend’s car.

“She said a car stopped in front of her, it just stopped in the middle of the highway, she hit it and tried to jump over, but the car hit her and knocked her back, it was a whirlwind and death. brother was gone,” said Robin Owens McClair, one of Rutledge’s sisters.

“The game is to get home safely.” That was the last thing McClair’s brother said to her. Owens McClair said that phrase is used in the motorcycle community.

“Safety is the basis. Come home safely. He didn’t make it home. At least not in this case,” Owens McClair said.

That evening, Rutledge was cheering on his friends from the Sin City Deciples Motorcycle Club. Owens McClair said her brother has always been there to help and will continue to do so as an organ donor.

“He wanted to help and save the lives of one or two or three people. His death was not in vain because he became an organ donor. I think it’s really profound,” Owens told McClair.

Owens McClair said Rutledge was a family protector, a comedian and loved cooking. She showed one of his most treasured gifts from his two children – an apron with handprints painted on it.

“They are devastated and there are really no words that can understand them, but we will see him again,” Owens McClair said.

Rutledge’s cyclist brothers came to the house to show their support. Owens McClair said the motorcycles brought the siblings even closer.

“Fun will never die. He will never die and his legacy is that I will stay in my lane. It’s slow, but that’s for show,” Owens McClair explained.

The Sin City Motorcycle Club is planning a ride in Rutledge’s memory. Details will be provided once they are released.