MORROW COUNTY, Ohio — An Ohio State Highway Patrol officer was flown to a Columbus hospital after being struck by a suspected wrong way driver on I-71 in Morrow County early Thursday morning.
The trooper, later identified as Jason Phillips, was responding to a report of a drink driver when he was hit by the suspected wrong way driver on I-71 north of SR-95 near the Morrow County/Richalnd County line, according to WSYX in Columbus and the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The suspected wrong way driver was taken to a hospital in Mansfield and is in critical condition, according to OSHP. Phillips was flown to a Columbus hospital with serious injuries and is in critical condition.
Further investigation revealed that the car that struck Phillips' cruiser was the same vehicle that he was called to investigate.
The crash caused both vehicles to catch fire, according to WSYX.
I-71 was closed north of SR-95 due to the crash, has since reopened, according to ODOT.
