DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – One person has died, and several others were brought to the hospital after two semi-trucks and two cars collided on I-75, closing both lanes for several hours.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, five vehicles collided on I-75 near the eastbound ramp for I-70 and the exits for Eaton and Vandalia. Both sides of the highway and the I-70 ramp itself were closed to all traffic.
All lanes of traffic reopened around 2 a.m. on Saturday.
OSP says Robyn Birzer, 20, of Blanchester, died at the scene.
An OSP trooper on the scene said that the driver of a semi-truck loaded with cardboard was entering I-75 North when they drove off the ramp, crossing a grassy area before colliding with a northbound SUV. Both the semi and the SUV were pushed into the concrete barrier wall. The initial crash was then hit by a second semi-truck and a passenger car.
The crash caused the first semi to catch fire, and fire crews are still struggling to extinguish the flames due to the cardboard inside. OSP said the cardboard continues to reignite, making firefighting efforts difficult.
The driver of one of the passenger cars was killed in the collision, OSP said. The driver of a semi-truck was brought to the hospital. Their condition is unknown at this time.
The crash pushed several of the concrete barriers into the southbound lanes of I-75, forcing authorities to close both sides of the highway. OSP said they called a local wrecker service to help reopen at least one lane on the southbound side.
Around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, 2 NEWS crews on the scene reported that the right lane and right shoulder reopened on the southbound side.
Crews from multiple jurisdictions responded to the scene of the crash, a release says. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
