A tow-truck driver towing another vehicle was hit by another car around 1:15 a.m. on I-90 westbound at East 72nd Street.
An ODOT camera captured the moment the driver in the fast lane crashed into a silver SUV that was attached to the back of a tow truck.
Cleveland EMS said that the 54-year-old tow truck driver was taken to University Hospitals in serious condition.
The driver of the car who hit the truck did not need to be taken to the hospital.
The highway was shut down for a few hours while crews investigated the accident.
Move Over Law
Ohio Dept. of Transportation Press Secretary Matt Bruning said these types of crashes can be avoided by following the state's Move Over Law.
"The Move Over Law is not unique to Ohio," he said. "Every single state in the nation has a Move Over Law and that requires you to move over for vehicles with flashing lights. If you can't safely move over, you need to slow down."
"Above all, you need to pay attention because if you're not paying attention, you're not going to see those flashing lights that you need to see to move over for in the first place."
Bruning said the law applies to any stationary vehicle with flashing lights.
"The idea here is giving that roadside workers, whether it be law enforcement, first responders, ODOT employees, tow truck drivers — you've got to give them room to safely work there," he said.
Bruning said there have been 43 crashes related to move over violations involving ODOT personnel, equipment, and vehicles so far this year.
"It's completely unacceptable and these are all 100% preventable crashes. There's no reason for them to occur so we just need people to pay attention out there," he said.
Lake County crash
This isn't the first time a tow truck driver has been hit in Northeast Ohio.
A 32-year-old Euclid man crashed into an OSHP cruiser, with two troopers inside, and struck two tow truck operators on I-90 who were assisting with an earlier crash back in January, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
RELATED: OSHP: Driver crashes into 2 tow truck drivers on I-90, highway patrol cruiser
Video footage obtained by News 5 showed flashing lights from emergency vehicles parked on the berm, including a highway patrol car that OSHP said had its lights activated. Traffic passes by slowly. Then, a Dodge Charger swerves off course, hits the patrol car, and strikes the tow truck operators from Fast and Friendly Repair and Towing.
Joshua Holstein owns the towing business and is one of the men who was struck.
News 5's Damon Maloney spoke with him after the accident.
"I just remember going airborne… sliding and then you know getting up and seeing what was going on, worrying about my employee,” Holstein said. “So, we got up, got over to him to try to get aid to him as fast as we could."
Holstein had minor injuries—mainly bumps and bruises. His employee had serious injuries, but Holstein said he was expected to recover.
