AMHERST, Ohio — Authorities have released more information about the fiery crash between two semi-trucks that closed the turnpike on Wednesday night, when both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the turnpike were shut down at mile marker 143 in Amherst near Elyria.
At about 8:20 p.m., Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers were called out to the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike at milepost 142.7 near Elyria Township in Lorain County.
A 34-year-old man was driving a semi-truck in the right eastbound lane of the turnpike when the truck became disabled, partially in the roadway, OSHP said in a news release. Another semi-truck, driven in the right lane by a 57-year-old man struck the disabled semi-truck, then ran off the left side of the road and struck the concrete median wall.
Both semi-trucks became engulfed in flames. The truck being driven by the 34-year-old man was transporting a load of resin that continued to burn for the next hour.
An image from an Ohio Department of Transportation traffic camera on the turnpike shows the moment a giant fireball erupted from one of the vehicles. Viewer video obtained by News 5 shows fire crews working to put out flames that had engulfed each vehicle.
Neither driver was injured in the crash, OSHP said.
Both eastbound and westbound lanes of the turnpike were shut down, as was the I-90 interchange overpass. Westbound lanes reopened that evening, and the eastbound lanes remained closed overnight. By Thursday morning, some eastbound lanes had reopened, but there were lane restrictions where the burned-out wreckage of the semi-truck remained.
At this time, no charges have been issued, and it does not appear alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash.
