Westerville teen who died in minibike crash had marijuana in his system, autopsy finds

A Westerville North High School student who died from injuries in a minibike accident had marijuana in his system above the legal limit considered impaired to drive in Ohio, according to an autopsy report from the Franklin County Coroner's Office.

Cooper Nofal, 17, a high school junior, was riding a minibike when he collided with a vehicle at the intersection of Westerville and Paris roads in Westerville. He died March 30 of traumatic brain injuries from blunt force impact to the head sustained in the crash, according to the autopsy report.

Nofal’s toxicology report found THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana, in his blood at a concentration of 8.2 nanograms per milliliter. Under Ohio law, drivers are considered impaired when the concentration of THC in the blood reaches 2 nanograms per milliliter or higher. For ingested marijuana, Ohio law considers drivers impaired at 5 nanograms of marijuana metabolite per milliliter of blood, which is what the toxicology report listed for Nofal.

Ohio is one of six states with THC limits on the books for operating a vehicle while impaired (OVI) offenses. Critics of those laws argue blood and urine measurements do not reliably test impairment, which researchers, law enforcement agencies and lawmakers have sometimes struggled to define as more states legalize medical and recreational marijuana.

There were no traces of alcohol or other drugs in Nofal's blood, according to the report.

bagallion@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Westerville teen who died in minibike crash had marijuana in his system, autopsy finds