Emergency services responded to an accident Tuesday morning involving four vehicles on US Route 68 near East Champlin Road. The roadway was closed for approximately five hours, according to OSHP.
John Hamilton | News Journal photos
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP — A four-vehicle accident that resulted in minor injuries Tuesday morning is being investigated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred on Tuesday at approximately 7:10 a.m. on northbound U.S. Route 68 near East Champlin Road in Washington Township, according to Sgt. Ryan Purpura, of the OSHP public affairs unit.
According to the release, the preliminary investigation showed traffic was stopped on U.S. Route 68 for a Wilmington City Schools bus that was picking up students. A northbound Freightliner semi-tractor trailer combination, driven by Thomas McLester, 72, of Monroe, NC, struck the rear of a Honda CR-V, driven by Anderson Barzola, 25, of New Vienna.
This resulted in the Honda being pushed off the roadway into a guardrail.
The semi-tractor trailer then struck a Toyota Tacoma, driven by Charles Gardner III, 47, of Lake Waynoka, in the rear.
“The impact caused the Toyota to strike an Ohio State Highway Patrol Dodge Charger, occupied by two troopers, in the rear,” Purpura told the News Journal. “The patrol car then went off of the right side of the roadway and struck a guardrail.”
Barzola and a trooper sustained minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to Clinton Memorial Hospital. The other trooper and the other drivers were not injured as a result of the crash.
“The roadway was closed for approximately five hours and has since reopened. McLester was cited for failure to maintain assured clear distance ahead,” according to Purpura.
He added the Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted on scene by the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Wilmington Fire Department, Ohio Department of Transportation, and Collins Towing & Auto Body.
