First responders check on occupants of a multi-vehicle
accident in near white out conditions, blocking west bound I-70, Saturday, Feb.
14, 2015 west of Columbus, Ohio. Heavy blowing snow is making travel difficult
across Ohio and has caused quite a few accidents on the interstates. (AP
Photo/Alex Brandon)
FEBRUARY 14, 2015
TOLEDO, OHIO (AP)
Blowing snow led to whiteout conditions across Ohio on
Saturday afternoon, causing numerous accidents and pileups that shut down interstates
in northern and central Ohio.
Two people were killed in separate accidents on the Ohio
Turnpike while a wave of heavy snow limited visibility at the Columbus airport
and forced all flights to be grounded for a few hours.
At least one person died in a multi-vehicle pileup that
closed the westbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike just west of Sandusky. Another
pileup on the turnpike about 30 miles west of the Indiana state line left one
person dead.
The toll road was turning away all westbound traffic coming
from the Cleveland and Akron areas all the way to the Indiana line – a 180-mile
stretch of the turnpike.
The turnpike also issued a travel ban for large commercial
vehicles and passenger cars pulling trailers.
About 20 vehicles were involved in a pileup on Interstate 70
west of Columbus, the State Highway Patrol said. It was one of several
accidents that closed the highway in both directions.
“This road is like a skating rink,” said Greg Olinger, of
Dayton, whose truck jack-knifed after he swerved to avoid the wreckage in front
of him. “I couldn’t see anything. It was a whiteout.”
Another truck driver, Arthur Barnett of Columbus, saw the
accident unfold right in front of him.
“What he did definitely saved a lot of lives by him going
off the road,” said Barnett, whose truck was hit and shoved off the road by
several cars behind him.
At least five counties in the northwestern corner of the
state were telling all drivers except emergency workers to stay off the roads
during the early part of the afternoon.
Accidents on interstates in the Cleveland and Akron areas
also forced several roadways to be closed.