A wrong-way driver was killed Tuesday morning after a head-on crash on U.S. Route 30 just east of the Alabama Avenue exit in Stark County, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The patrol confirmed the fatal crash to Jordan Miller News Tuesday afternoon.
The crash was reported at 8:44 a.m. after authorities received reports of a vehicle traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Route 30. North Lawrence Fire Department Public Information Officer Brandon Johnston said crews were dispatched at 8:45 a.m.
Johnston said the wrong-way driver, a man believed to be in his late 70s, was driving a four-door passenger car when it collided head-on with an SUV.
The wrong-way driver was transported to Aultman Hospital in Canton with life-threatening injuries, where he later died, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The driver of the SUV was also transported to Aultman Hospital with minor injuries.
Johnston said part of the wrong-way driver’s vehicle caught fire following the collision.
A medical helicopter was initially requested following the crash but was later canceled.
Firefighters from Dalton and Brewster assisted North Lawrence crews at the scene.
The westbound lanes of U.S. Route 30 were closed for about two hours while emergency crews responded and the Ohio Department of Transportation swept the roadway. The highway reopened shortly before 11 a.m.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the cause of the crash.
