At least 1 dead as dozens of cars pile up on icy Ohio Turnpike, officials say

At least one person was killed and many others were hurt as multiple vehicles crashed along the Ohio Turnpike, according to local media reports.

Ohio State Highway Patrol said troopers were responding to multiple crashes along the icy turnpike on Friday, Dec. 23, as a winter storm brought frigid temperatures across the U.S.

The crashes were reported at 12:45 p.m., WEWS reported.

Dozens of vehicles are affected in a pileup of at least 50 cars in Sandusky County and Erie County, WTVG reported.

Buses are being used to take drivers and passengers away from the scene, WJW reported, as both directions of I-80 between Route 53 and State Route 4 in Groton Township are closed.

Traffic is being diverted, the Ohio Turnpike said, and “long delays (are) expected.”

“Maybe the worst accident / car pileup I’ve ever seen on the Ohio Turnpike,” Twitter user @mikewaldron115 said. He shared a photo of a pickup truck on top of another vehicle as other cars were stalled.

A video shared by Twitter user @_julieforster showed several semi trucks crashed along the snowy interstate.

Sandusky and Erie counties are in northwest Ohio, about 90 miles west of Cleveland.

This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 4:06 PM with the headline "At least 1 dead as dozens of cars pile up on icy Ohio Turnpike, officials say."