LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — The initial incident in a series of deadly Ohio Turnpike crashes that occurred Thursday morning involved a Toyota SUV that slowed unexpectedly and was hit from behind by a commercial vehicle.
The site of the eastbound crash was near the new Exit 49 toll plaza in Swanton. It began operating in early April. At that location, drivers without an E-ZPass must pull off the main lanes of the turnpike and take a ticket at the plaza.
In late July, 11 Investigates reported that drivers are struggling to understand the new tolling system. Tens of thousands of drivers on both sides are either missing the plaza to pick up a ticket or to pay a toll on the westbound side.
The National Transportation Safety Board held a press conference Friday afternoon after it was announced they would be conducting a safety investigation into the deadly crashes.
The safety of that toll plaza is one area of investigation by the NTSB, though investigators said multiple possibilities are being explored.
Four people were killed and at least 10 were injured in three separate crashes in Lucas and Fulton counties, causing an hours-long shutdown of the turnpike in both directions for miles.
The chair of the NTSB board, Jennifer Homendy, said the federal agency is charged with investigating transportation disasters, including "significant" crashes on highways.
"Our entire mission is to determine how a crash happened, why it happened, in order to prevent it from reoccurring," Homendy said.
After the press conference, Ferzan Ahmed, the executive director of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, told 11 Investigates that he wanted to wait for the results of the investigation before giving an in-depth comment, but he admitted that he is concerned with the possibility of confusion over the new plaza being a contributing factor. He said the accident occurred in a location where the driver was in position to exit the main lanes.
Those killed in the initial crash were from Minnesota.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur said her aide recently received an invoice in the mail after missing the toll plaza because of confusion.
"I am concerned (about that plaza) because I use the Turnpike myself, and I find it confusing. At the federal level, we have a responsibility because I-80, I-90 has a U.S. designation as well. I notice when you go into Pennsylvania, the system is different than Ohio, Indiana, Illinois. I don't think that is the best solution for motorists," she said.
Homendy said that the agency will be on scene in northwest Ohio for 7-10 days but the investigation could take 12-16 months. The NTSB said at the end of the investigation, it issues a probable cause, a set of findings and safety recommendations that are aimed at preventing a crash from reoccurring.
The NTSB said this was its first full day in the area to begin its investigation. The agency started the day with a briefing from the Ohio State Highway Patrol before going to the scene of all three crashes. They then went to the tow yard to gather evidence and examine the vehicles involved.
Homendy said multiple investigative teams look at different factors in a crash. That includes a highway factors team, a human performance team, a motor carrier team, a survival factors team, a vehicle factors team, a hazardous materials team and a family assistance team.
The first crash Thursday morning happened at approximately 5:34 a.m. where the two people from Minnesota were killed and three others were taken to the hospital.
Kenny Bragg, the investigator in charge of the turnpike crashes for NTSB, said the preliminary investigation shows that a Toyota Highlander was traveling east on the turnpike near milepost 49 in the high-speed toll lanes.
Bragg said "for reasons we have not yet determined" the Toyota slowed and was struck from behind by a commercial vehicle hauling sulfuric acid, acetone, diesel fuel and trimethyl benzene.
According to Bragg, the Toyota veered off to the right side of the highway and the commercial vehicle struck a concrete barrier and overturned, causing the release of its hazardous materials.
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Bragg said they will also be investigating the two crashes that followed but "because of the number of vehicles and occupants involved," they will not yet be releasing information about them.
Homendy said as the investigation continues, the NTSB needs the public's help, asking anyone to send videos, photos, or other information to witness@ntsb.gov.