LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Authorities have identified three Louisville residents who died in a head-on collision Friday with a tractor-trailer rig in Sandusky County, Ohio.
The crash occurred about 7:45 a.m. on U.S. 6 when a driver attempted to pass traffic near County Road 32, according to the Fremont post of the Ohio Highway Patrol.
The three who died have been identified as 21-year-old Matthew Bramel, the driver, 19-year-old Shelby Johnson, a front-seat passenger, and 25-year-old Cody Nelson, the back seat passenger. All three of them were from Louisville. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
A fourth passenger, a 21-year-old woman from New Albany, Ind., was treated at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. Her condition was not immediately released.
A truck driver from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, tried to avoid the crash and was not injured, troopers said.
Ohio State Police say speed played a role in the crash.
"Speed was a factor because he was going out to pass traffic on US 6," said Lt. Matthew Meredith of Ohio State Highway Patrol. "It's a two lane state route -- U.S. road -- very flat, level, not a lot of view obstruction. Why he thought he needed to go out and pass and left the center with a semi-truck coming the other direction…that's how speed is a factor. I'm going to guess he was over the speed limit, but we do not have an exact speed of it right now."
Young people speeding, trying to save few minutes in traffic time and they end up reaching their final destination at a very early time.