Terry South is facing preliminary charges of driving while under the influence, failure to comply and obstructing official business, according to a police incident report. He was listed in fair condition Wednesday night at Miami Valley Hospital, according to an administrative officer.
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Around 2:40 a.m., police noticed a blue pickup truck on Harshman Road that was dragging metal and didn’t have its headlights on, the report said.
Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but the truck did not pull over.
“The vehicle was all over the roadway, which gave me the impression he was OVI,” an officer wrote in the report.
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The chase continued through Riverside, Kettering, Beavercreek, Moraine and Dayton.
While traveling on I-75 north, the truck crashed into the I-75 and Second Street exit divider.
The crash flipped the truck onto the driver side, trapping South, according to the report.
Ladders and other equipment on the truck went through the back window and the undercarriage of the truck caught on fire.
Officers put out the fire and Dayton firefighters removed South from the truck, according to the report.
Once removed, he told officers. “I’m sorry, I’m hammered drunk,” the report said.
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One officer noted a strong smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from South and that there were multiple beer cans among the debris from the truck.
South was transported to Miami Valley Hospital for injuries.
Throughout the chase, the truck reportedly almost hit multiple vehicles, struck curbs and was traveling between 45 and 75 miles per hour, according to the report.
It also was reportedly traveling on the wrong side of the road multiple times.
UPDATE @ 6 a.m.:
The accident scene has cleared, and all lanes have reopened.
It’s unclear at this time if the driver police were chasing prior to the crash was injured or if charges will be filed. But we are working to get those details.
FIRST REPORT:
A driver who led Riverside police on a chase early Wednesday morning crashed his vehicle on Interstate 75 in Dayton, disrupting traffic.
I-75 at Second Street has been shut down, and traffic is backed up for a couple of miles.
Crews are tending to the driver, who is trapped in the vehicle, which flipped on its side and caught on fire when it crashed, according to scanner traffic. The fire was extinguished quickly.
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The chase started about 2:45 a.m. in front of Stebbins High School on Harshman Road in Riverside, a dispatcher said. It’s not clear at this time why the chase started.
But we have a photographer at the crash scene, and we’ll bring you the latest information as soon as it’s available.
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