4 Killed, Others Hospitalized in 3 Separate Crashes on Ohio Turnpike

Four people were killed and 11 more were injured in three separate crashes on the Ohio Turnpike on Thursday morning, according to a media release by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The first crash happened at around 5:30 a.m. local time on Interstate 80 eastbound in Swanton Township, Fulton County. The crash involved one commercial vehicle hauling sulfuric acid and a car. Two people were killed in the incident, and three more were taken to hospitals in the Toledo area. Their injuries remain unknown at this time.

The Toledo Fire Department put a 150-foot perimeter around the crash "as a precaution," according to the media release.

Less than 30 minutes later, a second crash occurred on Interstate 80 eastbound in Fulton Township, Fulton County. Four commercial vehicles and a car were involved in the crash. One person was killed in the crash, and three more were injured. Those wounded were taken to local hospitals for "unknown injuries," the media release said.

The third crash happened at around 6:24 a.m. local time on Interstate 80 westbound in Swanton Township, Lucas County. Three commercial vehicles and two cars were involved in the crash that left one dead and five others wounded.

The Ohio Turnpike was closed for several hours Thursday morning in both directions between State Route 108 and State Route 2.

"At least one eastbound and westbound lane of travel on the Turnpike have been opened," read the media release obtained by Newsweek Thursday afternoon.

The Ohio Turnpike carries Interstate 80 and connects Chicago to the East Coast. Its highway patrol was assisted on Thursday by multiple law enforcement agencies and first responders.

"These crashes remain under investigation," the media release said.

WTVG, a local ABC affiliate, shared a photo of a turned-over truck on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday morning. The station's post included a message that read: "Viewer photos show an overturned semi on the Ohio Turnpike as part of the Thursday morning crash that shut down traffic in both directions."

In December 2022, there was a forty-six-vehicle pileup on the Ohio Turnpike that left four dead and others injured. The crash started eastbound between State Route 53 and State Route 4 in Sandusky County and expanded into Erie County.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed at the time that winter weather conditions were a factor in the crash.

"I've never seen anything like it," a 30-year veteran of the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department told WTOL11, a local CBS affiliate, at the time. "One of the worst incidents I've ever responded to."