Wrong-way driver dies, passenger seriously injured in I-76 crash near Wadsworth
A wrong-way driver died on Interstate 76 near Wadsworth early Saturday when he crashed into a vehicle towing a camper, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reported.
The driver's passenger was seriously injured, but a family from Clinton in the other vehicle survived the 2:33 a.m. crash.
The patrol said a 2020 Chevrolet Equinox, operated by Leo Dan Gomez Hernandez, 26, Chenalho, Mexico, was traveling the wrong way and struck a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado with an attached camper, driven by David Cole, 29, Clinton.
Cole was traveling westbound on Interstate 76. Gomez Hernandez's Equinox struck the Silverado head-on. The Equinox became disabled in the roadway, while the Silverado continued off the right side of the roadway, striking a guardrail, before stopping.
Gomez Hernandez was declared dead at the scene. His passenger, Audelin Hernandez Perez, 31, Chenalho, Mexico, was transported by ambulance to Cleveland Clinic Akron General with life-threatening injuries.
Cole and his infant passenger, Cade Cole, 1, Clinton, were not injured. Cole’s additional passenger, Jenna Cole, 33, Clinton, sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash.
All individuals involved were wearing safety belts or in a child safety seat at the time of the crash, the patrol said.The I-76 westbound lanes near state Route 57 in Medina were closed for several hours.
The crash remains under investigation.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Clinton family survives deadly wrong-way crash on I-76
