3 die in wrong-way crash on I-71 near Polaris Parkway
Three people were killed in a headon, wrong-way crash Friday morning on Interstate 71 northbound near Polaris Parkway, and another person has died following a crash a day earlier.
A number of other crashes and slideoffs were reported Friday morning in Greater Columbus, particularly near Downtown and in the eastern portions of Franklin County, as a mix of precipitation and temperatures near freezing created slippery road conditions.
The triple-fatal crash was reported around 3 a.m. on I-71, just north of the Polaris Parkway exit.
According to a crash report, a 2005 Ford Escape and a 2012 Honda Civic struck head-on in the left lane of traffic on Interstate 71 northbound. The crash report said it was not immediately clear which vehicle was headed north and which vehicle was going the wrong way at the time of the crash.
The female driver of the Escape and a female passenger, both of whom are believed to be from the Mansfield area, were taken to Ohiohealth Riverside Methodist Hospital. The male driver of the Civic was taken to Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Hospital.
All three were later pronounced dead at the hospitals. The report does not identify any of the individuals involved. Investigators were withholding names pending notifications of families.
The interstate was closed for about three hours but reopened around 6:30 a.m. Friday. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Columbus police also reported Friday that a serious crash that occurred Thursday on U.S. 33 on the city’s Southeast Side had turned deadly.
Police said a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro was traveling west on U.S. 33 near the Hamilton Road interchange around 4:40 p.m. Thursday at the same time as a 2001 Honda CR-V was headed east.
The male driver of the Camaro, who has not been identified by police, drove through the grass median and into the eastbound lanes, hitting the CR-V headon. The driver of the Camaro was taken to Mount Carmel East hospital in stable condition.
The driver of the CR-V, who also has not been identified by police, was taken to Ohiohealth Grant Medical Center, where he died at 5:33 p.m. Thursday.
No identities of the drivers were available Friday from police. The crash remains under investigation. bbruner@dispatch.com @bethany_bruner