Inmate hit by vehicle driven by officer at Ohio women's prison, video shows

A lieutenant driving a small utility vehicle through the prison yard hit an inmate at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, body camera footage shows.

Two officers in the vehicle were rushing to respond to a fight inside a building at the prison when the collision occurred.

Amanda Koerner, 40, was taken later that evening to Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where she was checked out for pain and bruising. She returned to the prison the following day.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction are each investigating the March 14 collision.

Koerner was walking on a sidewalk in the prison yard with other incarcerated women when Lt. Thierno Bah drove the vehicle through the yard and onto the sidewalk. He hit a chair, swerved and then hit Koerner, his body camera footage shows. Other women with her were able to get out of the way.

Bah hopped out of the gator to briefly check on Koerner and then dashed into the adjacent building to respond to a fight. Another prison employee, who was a passenger on the vehicle, stayed with Koerner and called for medical assistance.

Bah told investigators that the brake on the vehicle malfunctioned. A garage mechanic inspected the utility vehicle and the Ohio Reformatory for Women warden issued a safety reminder to staff.

No mechanical issues were found. Bah has not been disciplined while the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction conducts its internal investigation.

The Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville opened in 1916 and houses 2,200 incarcerated people.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.