The Ohio Department of Transportation said the number of crashes involving ODOT crews is at 69.
The latest crash happened in Brown County when crews were clearing storm damage. ODOT District Nine shared photos on Facebook showing the damage from the crash. The agency said a driver side-swiped an ODOT truck along State Route 286. Crews were in the area to clear a downed tree.
ODOT said crews continue to be hit at alarming rates across the state and in Northeast Ohio.
More than 100 crews were hit across the state in 2025. That's up from 88 incidents in 2024.
ODOT District 12, which covers Cuyahoga County, had a crash involving ODOT crews two weeks ago. Spokesperson Brent Kovacs said a vehicle hit workers along Interstate 480. Crews had pulled a crash attenuator, a vehicle that absorbs the impact of the crash, to protect emergency workers responding to a scene on the interstate. Kovacs said the vehicle crashed into the attenuator.
Kovacs said most of these crashes happen because drivers are not paying attention.
"There's multiple highly reflective signs. The plow trucks have lights on them. The impact attenuators have bright lights on them, so you just have to pay attention," he said. "There's plenty of notification of what's coming up in front of you."
Kovacs said ODOT is doing what it can to protect workers. He said impact attenuators are always present when crews are working on interstates. He also said drivers are in control of the road crew members' safety.
"It's not just hitting a guardrail anymore. It's you possibly killing someone on the side of the road," Kovacs said.
Kovacs reminds drivers that distracted driving is illegal in Ohio. It is also the law to move over and slow down when you see flashing lights on the side of the road.
