HUBBARD Twp, Ohio (WKBN)- The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash between a semi and a pickup truck early Friday morning.
According to the press release, Gary Wagner, 91 of Brookfield died in the crash. Wagner was driving the pickup truck.
Troopers were called to I-80 East near the Pennsylvania state line around 1:30 a.m.
OSHP said that the semi-truck and the pickup truck collided head-on, which forced both into the median and caused the semi-truck and trailer to jackknife. Troopers said that Wagner was driving the pickup truck and going the wrong way.
Troopers said that Wagner was pronounced dead on scene. The driver of the semi-truck is a 72-year-old man from Greenville Pennsylvania. OSP said that they were transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
OSHP said that both drivers were wearing safety belts at the time of the crash and that alcohol is not suspected to have been a factor in the crash.
“ODOT does a very good job putting signs up that tell you you’re going the wrong way or do not enter,” said Sgt. Timothy Grimm, with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. “Whether it be age-related, distracted-related, impaired-related, sometimes people miss those signs, and they get on going the wrong direction.”
Officials say if you happen to be going the wrong way on a road, immediately get to the side of the road and away from traffic.
Hubbard Township Police, Hubbard Township Fire (Eagle Joint Fire District and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) assisted at the scene. The crash is still under investigation.
Kyle Wills contributed to this report.
