A five-vehicle crash shut down southbound Interstate 75 near Franklin early Tuesday morning, leaving one woman dead and sending four people to the hospital. The wreck happened around 6:05 a.m. near mile marker 38 in Warren County after traffic unexpectedly ground to a halt.
State troopers from the Lebanon Post responded to the scene after multiple 911 calls came in. Drivers traveling down I-75 hit their brakes as traffic slowed in front of them. The sudden stop triggered a rapid domino effect through five trailing cars.
Emergency vehicles lined the interstate as responders worked to clear the lanes. Metal was twisted and debris sat scattered across the roadway. Paramedics moved quickly from car to car to check on the drivers and passengers involved.
Karen White, a 59-year-old resident of Miamisburg, died in the middle of the collision. Responders checked her at the scene, but her injuries were fatal. She died on the highway before she could be transported.
The chain reaction left four other drivers and passengers with serious injuries. Medics rushed a 25-year-old Dayton man to a nearby hospital with life-threatening condition. A woman from Centerville, age 40, and two travelers from Michigan were also hospitalized with severe injuries.
Amid all the heavy damage, one driver involved in the pileup walked away completely uninjured. State troopers kept lanes blocked off for hours while tow trucks removed the wrecked vehicles and crews cleaned up the site.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is leading the ongoing investigation into the crash. Officers are working to figure out why traffic slowed so fast and which vehicle struck first. A full report will be released once troopers finish analyzing the evidence from the scene.
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