Around 3 a.m. on April 7th, a crash occurred on I-90 east at MLK Drive and Eddy Road. There were four injuries and one death. The accident caused the highway to be shut down for investigation. The vehicles involved in the crash were a 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis, a 2001 Dodge Ram pick-up with a fifth wheel trailer attached, and a 2019 Kia Sportage.

The occupants of both the Mercury Grand Marquis and the Dodge Ram were outside their vehicles on the shoulder of the freeway. They were attempting to load the Mercury Grand Marquis onto the trailer carried by the Dodge Ram.

The Kia Sportage was traveling eastbound on the highway, where it drifted out of its lane and struck them. One of the occupants, fifty-year-old James Blankenship, was killed in the accident. Blankenship’s twenty-six-year-old son was seriously injured in the crash as well. Both men were rushed to University Hospital. The driver of the Kia Sportage was thirty-six-years-old. The driver was also taken to University Hospital with minor injuries.

After the initial crash, the unoccupied Kia Sportage was hit by an unidentified vehicle. The vehicle continued to drive after the crash without stopping. While on the scene of the accident two officers in marked vehicles with lights flashing were struck from behind by an eastbound car. The Cruiser was pushed into another vehicle, which caused said vehicle to hit a fourth vehicle that was stuck in traffic.

Both the officer struck in the patrol car and the driver of the car that hit the police officer were transported to the hospital. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash is still under investigation. They said that drug and alcohol impairment is suspected in all crashes.

When Lakewood High School student, Tayt Armitage, was asked about his thoughts on the crash he said, “Its absolutely terrifying how so many people were involved in an accident because of the recklessness of one driver.”