SANDUSKY COUNTY, Ohio — At least one person is dead following a fatal crash on the Ohio Turnpike Monday morning, in an incident that resulted in a closure of the Turnpike for five hours.
According to a press release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the three-vehicle crash occurred just before 10 a.m. Monday, just east of SR-51 in Washington Township in Sandusky County.
The crash resulted in a five-hour closure while authorities responded to the scene. Their preliminary investigation determined that a Kenworth tractor-dump trailer was traveling west on the turnpike when it drove off the right side of the roadway, struck and drove over a concrete barrier wall, before entering the eastbound lanes and striking a Ford Escape.
After striking the Ford Escape, OSHP said the tractor-dump trailer continued across the eastbound lanes and struck a guardrail, hitting a Kenworth tractor-trailer.
The Ford continued a short distance before it caught fire, authorities said. Its driver, 35-year-old Samantha Smith of Chardon, succumbed to fatal injuries at the scene.
The driver of the tractor-dump trailer was taken to the hospital with what OSHP described as serious injuries. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not injured in the crash.
WATCH MORE FROM WTOL 11
Want more from WTOL 11?
➡️ Download the WTOL 11 news app for Apple here or get it in the Google store here.
➡️ Get a fresh start to your morning and wrap up your day with the latest news and your WTOL 11 Weather forecast delivered right to your inbox!
WTOL 11's Your Morning Blast and Your Evening Blast deliver stories from northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and beyond to keep you informed.
Click here to get on the list!