Fairview fire truck struck at crash scene on I-70, no injuries reported from collision

FAIRVIEW — An unoccupied fire truck owned by the Fairview department was struck by a tractor-trailer early Tuesday morning in eastern Guernsey County, while first responders worked at the scene of a one-vehicle accident on Interstate 70.

Neither occupant of the 2017 Freightliner that struck the fire truck were injured.

Fairview first responders and two victims from the one-vehicle crash were reportedly forced to drive over a guardrail along the highway to avoid being struck by the trucks or debris from the collision.

The crash victims, Rhonda Claridy, 64, and Shaw Lathal, 27, both of Groveport, were later transported by Antrim medical personnel to Southeastern Med for treatment of minor injuries sustained in the initial crash.

At 8:45 a.m. Tuesday, a nursing supervisor at the Cambridge hospital said neither Claridy nor Lathal were listed as patients.

According to Lt. Melanie Appleman of the State Highway Patrol's Cambridge post, the 2017 Freightliner Cascadia driven by Mekhron Mirzoev, 26, of Brooklyn, New York, was westbound on I-70 at approximately 2:43 a.m. when it struck the rear of the Fairview fire truck.

The fire truck was parked in the right lane near mile post 196 providing crash-scene protection.

"Unsafe speed was a factor in the accident," said Appleman of the tractor-trailer, which struck the guardrail after colliding with the fire truck.

The Freightliner and the 1997 Freightliner SL 80 fire truck sustained moderate to extensive damage in the collision.

Both Mirzoev and a passenger, Shervod Satarov, 35, also of Brooklyn, N.Y., were wearing safety belts.

Mirzoev was cited for failure to maintain assured clear distance ahead.

The initial accident involving a 2015 Ford Focus driven by Claridy was reported at 2:22 a.m. Tuesday with first responders from the Fairview, Antrim, Old Washington and Quaker City departments dispatched.

Appleman reported Claridy was traveling west on I-70 at approximately 2:20 a.m. when the Focus left the lanes of travel and struck a guardrail.

Claridy and Lathal were both wearing safety belts. The moderately-damaged Focus was towed from the scene.

Claridy was cited for failure to maintain reasonable control of the vehicle.

Troopers with the Cambridge post reportedly investigated eight accidents from Monday and Tuesday morning, according to a dispatcher.

One accident involved a rollover of Ohio Department of Transportation truck that was clearing snow from Ohio 658 Monday afternoon.

No other information regarding the rollover crash was available from the patrol.

According to scanner traffic on Monday, the unidentified driver was not injured.

A dispatch log at the Guernsey County Sheriff's Office listed the following accidents reported from Monday to Tuesday morning:

Tuesday

• 2:19 a.m., two tractor-trailers collided on I-70 near mile post 195. No injuries reported.

Monday

• 4:39 p.m., van overturned multiple times before landing on its wheels on Interstate 77. Minor injuries reported.

• 4:37 p.m., Honda in a ditch on Marietta Road. No injuries reported. Byesville FD dispatched.

• 2:59 p.m., vehicle in the median on I-77 in Noble County. No injuries reported.

• 2:46 p.m., two vehicles off the roadway on I-70 near the weigh station. No injuries reported.

• 1:28 p.m., rollover accident on I-77 at the Kimbolton exit. No injuries reported.

Fairview firefighters also responded to a jackknifed tractor-trailer near mile post 202 on I-70 in Belmont County.

Cambridge police officers also investigated five accidents in the city including four on Southgate Parkway and one on Byesville Road at North Avenue. No serious injuries were reported by any of the motorists involved.

Guernsey County Sheriff Jeff Paden issued a Level 2 snow emergency early Tuesday morning as freezing drizzle moved through the county.

The warning was later lowered by the sheriff to Level 1 indicating roadways are still hazardous with blowing and drifting snow. Roads may also be icy.

Motorists are urged to drive very cautiously.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Fairview fire truck struck at crash scene on I-70, no injuries reported