2 die in Dayton crash as semi goes off I-75 North, down embankment

Two people were killed, said Dayton police East District Commander Lt. David Matthews. The crash victims names will be released once their families have been notified.

The crash closed the entrance ramp and the northbound lanes of the highway. The Ohio Department of Transportation posted on Twitter that I-75 North had reopened at 1:08 p.m. As of 1:46 p.m., Dayton police reported the Stanley Avenue ramp to I-75 North also had reopened.

Matthews noted the crash made it difficult to route motorists around the scene.

“We’ve had to close down a major intersection here in the city,” he said. “The highway is closed back at state Route 4. The hard part is when people get off the highway they’re still coming to this entrance ramp thinking they can get back on, but they can’t.”

The northbound lanes remained closed throughout the morning as crews worked to get the semi truck back on its wheels so it could be towed. The semi also hit a highway exit sign, so ODOT had to determine whether they needed to remove the sign and reset it, Matthews added.

It’s not clear what led to the crash, but it’s believed an ODOT camera nearby captured what happened.

Matthews said there was impact at the guardrail prior to the bridge over Stanley Avenue.

“He was on the bridge railing all the way across the bridge before he impacted on the other side,” the lieutenant said.

It does not appear any other vehicles were involved.

The semi truck was hauling a powder base used to make concrete. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will evaluate the scene, but the fire department did not think there was any risk of contaminating ground water, Matthews said.

The crash remains under investigation.