The Independence Police Department said they were dispatched to an accident near the Chestnut Road bridge in Independence early Friday morning. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene, and one person is in serious condition.
Shortly after 12:30 a.m., a 2017 Ford hatchback was involved in an accident involving no other cars, OSHP said. The driver, a 37-year-old man from Broadview Heights, was traveling southbound on Interstate 77 when he veered to the left side of the roadway, striking a median wall before becoming disabled in the far right lane. The details and the reason for the crash are unknown.
A 2022 Chevrolet hatchback was parked in front of the Ford in the far right lane, the OSHP news release states. The reason the car was parked there is unknown, but OSHP said it's likely the occupants were there to offer help
According to troopers, the occupants of the Chevrolet, 32-year-old Gertrude Stutler of Rittman and 29-year-old Johnny Brooks of Wadsworth, exited their vehicle after the Ford crash, along with the driver of the Ford.
While the Ford driver, Stutler and Brooks were out of their cars and on the interstate, a 2018 Freightliner semi-truck operated by a 51-year-old driver from Twinsburg was traveling in the right lane of I-77 S and struck the Ford and the Chevrolet, OSHP said.
The semi also hit the three individuals, OSHP reports. Stutler and Brooks were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford was taken to MetroHealth Hospital and is in serious condition.
The semi-truck driver was also taken to MetroHealth with minor injuries and was later released, according to state highway patrol officials.
The semi-truck was carrying french fries.
News 5 photojournalist Mike Veilhaber was at the scene of the crash just before 4 a.m. this morning.
I-77 south is closed at I-480. There was a crash around 12:30am involving a semi and two cars. The Cuyahoga County Coroner responded for 2 fatalities on scene. EMS units transported two others in unknown condition. OSHP doing a reconstruction. This will be closed for a long time. pic.twitter.com/aiT3EDcnYT
— Mike Vielhaber (@MVielhaber) December 1, 2023
Crews have been at the scene since after midnight attempting to clean up the highway after the semi-truck carrying multiple boxes flipped on its side.
According to News 5 reporter Catherine Ross, who arrived at the scene around 5 a.m., two vehicles with significant damage had been towed from the scene. One of the vehicles was on its side, and the other was upright against the berm.
The highway was shut down for several hours but slowly reopened lanes around 7:30 a.m. The scene should be completely cleared by noon, police said.
The crash is under investigation. News 5 will follow up on this developing story.
