At least two people are dead and more have been injured in a massive pile-up on Friday, shutting down the Ohio Turnpike in both directions near the Erie/Sandusky county line.
A spokesperson for the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) told the local ABC affiliate that there were several crashes throughout the day — the first of which took place shortly before noon and involved five vehicles and resulted in two injuries, none of which were life-threatening.
Less than an hour later, multiple cars began to crash, resulting in a pile-up of 46 vehicles and at least two deaths.
🚨UPDATE: #OhioTurnpikeMP106Crash pic.twitter.com/QHm0KpL6n5
— OSHP_NWOhio (@OSHP_NWOhio) December 23, 2022
OSHP shared updates on the situation via Twitter, directing media outlets on where to send reporters for the latest information and confirming reports that at least two people had been killed in the wreck.
“Troopers on scene confirm two fatalities, with a minimum of 46 vehicles involved. Multiple agencies from several counties are continuing rescue operations. White-out conditions persist. Travel is not recommended,” the update read.
Troopers on scene confirm two fatalities, with a minimum of 46 vehicles involved. Multiple agencies from several counties are continuing rescue operations. White-out conditions persist. Travel is not recommended.#OhioTurnpikeMP106Crash pic.twitter.com/PhPcwdrsEv
— OSHP_NWOhio (@OSHP_NWOhio) December 23, 2022
“This is going to be ongoing for a while. There are a lot of troopers and first responders out there working through this,” the OSHP spokesperson said.
Dramatic videos show the scene of a deadly pileup on the Ohio Turnpike that involved approximately 50 vehicles during snowy conditions.
One person died and multiple people were injured, Ohio Highway Patrol said. https://t.co/qbrkoZswJU pic.twitter.com/OvJQzKjV4w
— ABC News (@ABC) December 23, 2022
Some reports estimated that the number of vehicles involved in the deadly crash might be closer to 100.
🚨#BREAKING: Mass Casualty Incident’ declared following pileup on Interstate 75 in Ohio
Multiple emergency crews are responding too a very serious accident is occurring on I-75N. With Mass Casualty Incident declared reports of over 100+ vehicles are piled up pic.twitter.com/TgfCm852Si
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 23, 2022
Ohio
Multiple emergency crews are responding to a very serious accident occurring on I-75N. With Mass Casualty Incident declared reports of over 100+ vehicles are piled up
— Justin Hart (@justin_hart) December 23, 2022
Video taken at the scene showed first responders working to help stranded motorists out of their vehicles in the frigid temperatures. Buses were dispatched to transport uninjured passengers — and those whose cars were simply blocked — from the turnpike to a nearby maintenance building.
New video shows first responders helping people stranded on the Ohio Turnpike get out of their vehicles after the deadly 50-vehicle crash Friday >> https://t.co/DzdLzNsMT2 pic.twitter.com/Inl9360ymh
— WTVG 13abc (@13abc) December 23, 2022
Toledo Fire and Rescue confirmed that the Sandusky County Sheriff had called in a request for assistance with extrication at the scene.
“INCIDENT TYPE: Mutual Aid Request — Sandusky County Sheriff,” they tweeted, sharing photos of emergency vehicles headed to the scene with their lights flashing. “INCIDENT DETAILS: (December 23, 2022): TFRD extrication resources are assisting in Sandusky Co with a multiple vehicle accident on the Ohio Turnpike near mile post 118. #toledofire #mutualaid.”
INCIDENT TYPE: Mutual Aid Request – Sandusky County Sheriff
INCIDENT DETAILS:
(December 23, 2022): TFRD extrication resources are assisting in Sandusky Co with a multiple vehicle accident on the Ohio Turnpike near mile post 118. #toledofire #mutalaid pic.twitter.com/Cou4WafNL8— Toledo Fire & Rescue (@ToledoFire) December 23, 2022
By late Friday afternoon, Sandusky County was still under a Level 3 Snow Emergency. High winds and temperatures remaining below zero meant that travel conditions would remain risky at best going into the holiday weekend.