PAULDING COUNTY, OH (Toledo News Now) -
U.S. Route 24 re-opened Wednesday around 9:30 p.m. near the Ohio/Indiana border following a deadly chain reaction crash Tuesday morning.
Investigators say fog was a factor in a crash on U.S. Route 24 that involved 10 semis and two cars. The crash happened in Paulding County on US-24 near County Road 87.
Both directions of the highway had to be shut down for clean-up near the Ohio and Indiana border. The highway is closed from State Route 49 (Antwerp) to U.S. Route 127 (Paulding County area).
Investigators believe the crash happened when a pickup truck failed to yield at the intersection and a tanker truck slammed into it. The initial crash then set off about five chain-reaction crashes.
The driver of the pickup truck was declared dead at the scene. Only one other driver was injured.
"The only choice I had was to take it into the ditch, so that's what I had to do to avoid the accident. And I had the window down, and I could continue to hear vehicles crunch into each other. It was so foggy, I had never seen fog like that in my life," said David Higgins, who avoided the crash.
One of the semis was carrying ethanol. There was a spill, but police said it was not a threat to the surrounding area.
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