2 women injured after Jeep strikes semi, runs off I-70 into the trees

UPDATE @ 6:30 a.m.:

Two women were taken to the hospital from a crash off eastbound I-70 in Harmony Twp., according to Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatch records.

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Records confirmed that a Jeep ran off the highway after a collision with a semi truck near U.S. 40, and that both occupants of the vehicle were taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center.

A trooper on scene said that the Jeep had been driving in the center lane, and tried to turn into the right lane when it clipped the front of the semi and went off the road. It crashed through a fence and into the trees.

The trooper also said that the women were awake and talking to emergency crews.

Crews on the scene continue to work to remove the Jeep from the trees.

All lanes of eastbound I-70 have reopened.

UPDATE @ 5:59 a.m.:

Our crew on the scene reported that crews have taken two people out of the vehicle, at least one on a stretcher.

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A highway patrol trooper said that the driver’s side door is stuck closed, so crews had to remove the driver from the vehicle through the back.

Troopers are also speaking to a semi truck driver on the scene, our photographer reported.

UPDATE @ 5:24 a.m.:

The Ohio Department of Transportation traffic map reports that the right lanes of I-70 East are closed at U.S. 40.

INITIAL REPORT:

Emergency crews are responding to a report of a vehicle that ran off the road and into the trees on eastbound interstate 70 near U.S. 40 in Harmony Township.

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Initial reports said that the vehicle may have struck a semi truck before going off the road, and that two women may be trapped inside.

We are working to learn more and will update this story with any new information.

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