SWANTON, Ohio — The driver involved in the initial Ohio Turnpike accident on Aug. 15 became emotional as she talked to investigators from her hospital bed, saying she was confused by a new toll plaza that just became operational in April.
Thupten Choedon was driving a 2015 Toyota Highlander SUV in the right lane of eastbound traffic. As she neared the Exit 49 plaza in Swanton Township, she slowed from 70 mph to 50 mph and was hit from behind by a commercial vehicle driven by Hashim Hall.
The collision forced the SUV and semi into a median. The semi overturned in the entrance to the plaza, spilling its hazardous cargo. The SUV overturned and slid off to a ditch on the right of the roadway.
Choedon’s son, daughter and husband were in the back seat and were ejected. They were not wearing seat belts.
Dawa Norbu, 9, and his father, Tenzin Drukgyal, were killed. Their daughter, Tenzin Choedon, 12, was seriously injured.
The day after the crash, Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Willie Richardson interviewed Thupten Choedon at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center.
A report from the OSHP says, “she slowed down from 70 mph to 50 mph near the toll plaza because she needed to pay and was struck in the rear. Ms. Choedon started to cry as she expressed her confusion with the toll plaza.”
When Richardson asked if Choedon would like to add anything else to her statement, she answered: “They need to change the way it was designed. I would pay $200 to go all the way through.”
State Rep. Haraz Ghanbari, a board member of the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, isn't quick to blame the new toll plaza for the crash.
"We don't want to jump to any conclusions just yet," Ghanbari said. "I understand that those reports are out, but again we need to make sure that we give those crash investigators and the parallel investigations time to actually be complete and issue a final conclusive report."
Ghanbari said he wants to wait for the OSHP and The National Transportation Safety Board to complete their investigations before placing blame.
The NTSB's investigation could take up to a year to get results and recommendations.
Ghanbari said he doesn't worry about potentially having to wait a year to make changes to the turnpike if that's what the NTSB recommends.
He added that the Turnpike Commission has been educating drivers about the new tolling system.
"A lot of folks that travel that road every day that haven't gotten into crashes and haven't necessarily been confused by it," Ghanbari said.
The eastbound and westbound toll plazas at Exit 49 have been the subject of multiple 11 Investigates stories. Hundreds of drivers have left comments on social media, emailed or called us to express frustration.
Data shows tens of thousands of drivers have either missed the plazas or an E-ZPass was not detected in the E-ZPass lanes. Much of the frustration has centered around drivers receiving bills of close to $20 after missing the plaza.
In July, wait times to talk to a customer service representative were as long as six hours. After our stories first ran last month, the Ohio Turnpike waived late fees and stopped any collection efforts until the delays could be fixed.
But this is the first time that a driver involved in a fatal crash has voiced confusion with the plaza. The crashes on Aug. 15 led to four deaths and more than 10 injuries.
RELATED: Swanton turnpike plaza said to be part of probe into deadly Ohio Turnpike crashes | 11 Investigates
At an NTSB hearing the day after the crash, a turnpike official expressed concern to 11 Investigates that the new plaza could have been a factor. The NTSB is expected to release its preliminary report any day now.
The Ohio Turnpike Commission provided the following statement to WTOL 11:
“The crashes that occurred during the early morning hours of August 15, 2024, were an unfortunate tragedy. We send our deepest sympathies to the families who lost loved ones and well-wishes for a full recovery to those who were injured. The causes of the crashes remain under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The National Transportation Safety Board is also conducting a separate, independent investigation. We are awaiting the results, so we cannot draw any conclusions at this time.”
WTOL 11 Reporter André Norrils contributed to this report.
Witness statements from the newly-released Ohio State Highway Patrol reports are below and at this link:
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