Separate incidents snarl traffic on area highways
Fatal crash on I-75, downed wires on U.S. 35 slow motorists.
A fatal crash shut down parts of northbound I-75, while U.S. 35 in Dayton shut down after electrical wires fell across the highway.
Separate incidents on Interstate 75 and U.S. 35 caused major traffic problems Saturday afternoon.
A fatal three-vehicle crash around 3:45 p.m. shut down the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 between Dixie Highway and Ohio 725 in West Carrollton for several hours.
A woman in her 30s driving a blue Toyota Prius was pronounced dead at the scene, Sgt. Frank Simmons Jr. of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Dayton Post said. Her name was not released pending notification of family.
“It appears that the Prius is going to be at fault at this time in our investigation,” Simmons said. “The Prius traveled from the off ramp from I-75 northbound to West Carrollton and went up about a 90-foot hill and re-entered northbound I-75 and was T-boned by a camper.”
A white Ford Taurus also was struck during the crash. The occupants of the camper and Taurus were taken to Sycamore and Kettering medical centers with injuries that were not life-threatening, Simmons said.
The crash initially shut down the far left southbound lane as well.
At this point, investigators have not ruled out speed or a medical condition as factors in the crash, Simmons said.
Also Saturday afternoon, both directions of U.S. 35 in Dayton were shut down after electrical wires fell across the highway.
Thehighwaywasclosedbetween Smithville Road and Woodman Drive after the incident, which was reported sometime after 4 p.m. Traffic was re-routed at Steve Whalen Boulevard, and all lanes were back open by 6:40 p.m. It was not immediately clear what caused the wires to fall.