The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Ravenna Post is currently conducting an investigation into a collision involving an SUV and a semi-tractor trailer. The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon at approximately 3:52 PM, at the intersection of U.S. Route 224 and Waterloo Road in Randolph Township (Portage County).
The driver of the 2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca, identified as 44-year-old Kristina Hartson from Atwater, was heading southwest on Waterloo Road. Donald C. Johnson, a 42-year-old resident of Mitchell, Indiana, was operating a 2016 Peterbilt 579 Semi-Tractor Trailer and traveling southeast on U.S. Route 224.
The collision transpired when Hartson, who had come to a stop at the southwest corner of Waterloo Road and US Route 224, proceeded southwest across US Route 224, directly into the path of Johnson’s semi. The impact resulted in Hartson sustaining critical injuries, and she was subsequently transported to Akron City Hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Mr. Johnson emerged from the crash unharmed.
Following the incident, US Route 224 in the vicinity of the collision was temporarily closed for investigative purposes but has since been reopened.
Emergency services, including the Randolph Township Fire Department and the Portage County Sheriff’s Office, provided assistance at the crash scene. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Commercial Enforcement and Crash Reconstruction Sections are collaborating in the ongoing investigation.