A chain-reaction accident on Interstate 75 near Lima, Ohio, resulted in injuries to several people. The incident began when a tractor-trailer ran into a barrier. The weekday afternoon commercial vehicle accident ultimately involved three vehicles.
The location of the accident was in between exits at state Route 81 and the Bluelick Road in close proximity to milepost 129. The semi, driven by a 66-year-old woman, was moving south on the highway at approximately 4:37 p.m. The barrier she struck was at a construction zone on the right side of the road. Two other vehicles also traveling south in the left lane tried to maneuver to get away from debris that was flying though the air. In the course of that, a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette driven by a 64-year-old man was rear-ended by a 2002 Ford Econoline van being operated by a 20-year-old woman.
The driver of the tractor-trailer and a 74-year-old male passenger were sent to a medical facility for treatment of injuries that were classified as minor. The Corvette's driver and a 64-year-old female driver were given emergency medical attention at the scene of the crash for their minor injuries, along with the van's driver and her 21-year-old female passenger. Officers gave a ticket to the driver of the tractor-trailer for neglecting to comply with a traffic control device.
In accidents similar to this, personal injury and property damage lawsuits can be brought against the drivers of commercial vehicles when their neglect causes an accident. Many such accidents involving commercial vehicles result in injuries and property damages far greater than this one. Frequently, abuse of drugs or alcohol by the drivers of commercial vehicles is involved, but there were no indications of that in published news reports. The employers of the driver of a commercial vehicle are frequently named as defendants in accident lawsuits, as they can be held responsible for the actions of their employee carried out within the scope of their employment.
Source: Limaohio.com, "Several hurt in chain-reaction crash on I-75" Staff reports, Dec. 19, 2013