Officials with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, whose assistance was requested early on, declined during a press briefing Tuesday to disclose the identities of the individuals involved in the crash, citing the pending coroner’s investigation.
The coroner’s office typically releases that information once identification is completed and the next of kin is notified.
Investigation details ‘catastrophic’ head-on impacts
Initial investigation shows that a 55-year-old man driving a 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe entered the exit ramp at Ohio 201, driving west into the oncoming eastbound traffic, according to Jeremy Roy, MSCO chief of staff.
The Tahoe first crashed into a 2019 Honda Accord that was preparing to take the exit onto Ohio 201.
The Honda driver, a 25-year-old man, tried to avoid the truck by changing lanes but the Tahoe also changed and crashed into the car, Roy said, causing the Accord to spin out of control and hit the concrete barrier.
The SUV then continued driving the wrong way down I-70 for about half a mile before crashing head-on into a 2020 Chevy Trax driven by a young adult female, who had a young adult passenger in the car.
“This crash was catastrophic as it was a head-on impact at a high rate of speed, causing the Trax to catch fire almost immediately,” Roy said.
The at-fault driver is estimated to have been speeding at around 80 mph at the time of this collision.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“But understand, that’s 80 mph going the wrong way toward somebody else doing the speed limit (at 65 mph),” he said. “You can imagine the change in energy and force when you get hit head-on by that; it’s going to be a fatal every single time.”
After the collision with the Trax, the SUV crashed into a 2013 Chevy Malibu, driven by a 33-year-old male.
The driver of the Tahoe and both the driver and a passenger from the Trax were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said the driver of the Malibu had exited his vehicle by the time medics arrived, and was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with serious injuries. As of Tuesday, the man remains in critical condition, Roy said.
The driver and a passenger in the Honda suffered minor injuries and were released from the scene.
Investigators believe at-fault driver was at a bar before crash
Roy said authorities are investigating the Tahoe driver’s actions in the eight to 10 hours leading up to the crash, with results indicating that alcohol may have been a factor.
“Based on social media posts and video evidence, we have been able to track the at-fault driver to a local bar prior to the crash,” Roy said. “We’re in the process of tracking down anybody that was at the bar with the at-fault driver to determine his behavior and state of mind leading up to the crash.”
Investigators said nothing is being ruled out at this point, including the potential that the crash was intentional.
Credit: Bryant Billing
Credit: Bryant Billing
“We have at least one witness who said they tried to change lanes and they felt that the driver was changing with them and coming at them intentionally,” Roy said.
But Roy stressed that any possible motivation or intent cannot be confirmed until the investigation is completed.
911 callers witness crash; First responders ‘taken aback’
Several callers to the 911 dispatch center in Huber Heights described witnessing the incident.
“I was just outside to take out the trash and (there’s) an accident on I-70,” said one caller, who lives on nearby Pegwood Court, just south of the interstate. “I don’t know what it is but it’s a bad one; I can hear the cars still wrecking.”
Another caller, audibly upset and frantic, reported seeing a person involved in the crash exit their vehicle. Both the vehicle and the victim were on fire, the witness said.
“Someone needs to tell them to get down on the ground and roll around to get the fire out,” the dispatcher said.
The witness responded that the victim did go to the ground and the fire was extinguished.
Crews responded Sunday morning to find a grim scene, Roy said, describing a “mile-and-a-half or longer” field of debris and veteran officers who were “taken aback” by the devastation.
“There’s two cars completely engulfed in flames, one that’s disabled, and the Tahoe that’s not just on fire but in half. Then, we’ve got engines and transmissions sitting on the highway,” he said. “When I say this was catastrophic, I don’t know how else to describe it.”
Roy asks anyone who witnessed the crash or has any relevant information from the hours leading up to the incident to call 225-HELP.
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