Interstate 77 southbound lanes in Canton now clear after four-vehicle accident

Robert Wang, Canton Repository
Updated ·2 min read
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An Ohio Department of Transportation camera shows stopped traffic along southbound Interstate 77 in Canton at 8 a.m. Friday following an accident. City police reported two lanes are closed.
An Ohio Department of Transportation camera shows stopped traffic along southbound Interstate 77 in Canton at 8 a.m. Friday following an accident. City police reported two lanes are closed.

CANTON – A utility trailer became unhitched from a pickup going south on Interstate 77 Friday morning, causing a four-vehicle accident that resulted in lane closures and slowed traffic.

A 62-year-old woman from New Franklin, who was in one of the vehicles, was taken by Canton fire paramedics to nearby Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital to be treated for minor injuries, Canton police said.

Occupants of the three other vehicles did not appear to be injured, according to a preliminary police report.

The accident took place around 7:22 a.m. on I-77 north of the 13th Street NW exit at Mercy Medical Center and just south of the Fulton Road NW ramp. All four vehicles involved were going south on I-77.

The scene was cleared as of 10:07 a.m., according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol dispatcher, citing a video feed from an Ohio Department of Transportation highway camera.

The Fulton Road exit was temporarily closed due to the accident. An ODOT camera showed traffic halted along the highway at 8 a.m.

According to police, when the trailer got unhitched, it was only attached to the truck with emergency chains. That resulted in the trailer swaying back and forth, hitting vehicles.

Police cited the 66-year-old Nimishillen Township man driving a 2014 Ford F-15 for failing to secure a load to his vehicle. He had a passenger, a 59-year-old Jackson Township man, who was not injured.

When the utility trailer became unhitched, it caused a 58-year-old man from Smith Township in Mahoning County driving a 2015 Chrysler 300 to swerve and collide with a Chevy vehicle driven by a 62-year-old New Franklin woman. The Chevy vehicle then struck a 2017 Ford F-15 pickup being driven by a 61-year-old Jackson Township woman.

Two vehicles sustained "disabling damage." Police did not find any initial signs of alcohol or drug use by the four drivers.

Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly known as Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Two lanes of Interstate 77 closed in Canton because of accident