(Updated at 10:05 p.m., June 23, 2012): My sympathy goes out to everybody involved in the crash in northern Ohio on US-24 between Henry County Roads 1 and 2 shortly after 4:00 a.m. early today.
The crash is particularly heartbreaking to me for several reasons. It hits too close to home. I live on County Road 3 and my teenage son travels on US-24 every day to get to school. Also, I have represented several families of people injured or killed in collisions on this dangerous stretch of road, and have given press conferences calling for a change to the roadway. It’s particularly tragic that this collision occurred only six months ahead of the scheduled opening of the new US-24.
According to the Toledo Blade, the collision involved a pickup truck and two semi trucks, and left one person dead and another who was transported by Life Flight to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo. According the report, the pickup truck was traveling west on US-24 at an estimated 100 m.p.h. when it crossed the center line and side-swiped the first eastbound tractor-trailer. The pickup then careened into a second tractor-trailer.
The driver of the pickup truck, 23-year-old Thomas John Wylie of Swanton, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the second tractor-trailer, 25-year-old Jonathan Shoemaker of New Haven, Ind., was transported to St. Vincent. Van C. Adams of Fort Wayne, the driver of the first truck, was not injured in the accident.
I will post updates on this accident as they become available. In the meantime, let’s pray for Mr. Shoemaker’s recovery and for the families of all parties involved.
