Karen White was driving on southbound Interstate 75 on Tuesday morning like she had done plenty of times before. Traffic began slowing down near Franklin as the morning commute picked up. Before anyone could stop, a sudden chain reaction sent five vehicles crashing into one another. The 59-year-old Miamisburg woman died at the scene from her injuries.
The crash happened around 6:05 a.m. near mile marker 38 in Warren County. State troopers from the Lebanon Post got the call and rushed to the stretch of highway. When emergency crews arrived, they found wrecked cars blocking the lanes and several people trapped inside.
Troopers said traffic had started backing up in the middle of the highway right before the wreck. One car hit the brakes, and the vehicles behind it could not stop in time. The impact jumped from car to car in seconds, leaving no room for drivers to steer away.
White took the worst of the impact during the pileup. First responders checked her right on the interstate, but her injuries were too severe. She was pronounced dead before medics could get her to a hospital.
The collision injured four other people caught in the pileup. A 25-year-old man from Dayton suffered life-threatening injuries, and medics rushed him to a nearby emergency room. A 40-year-old woman from Centerville and two visitors from Michigan were also severely hurt and taken to area hospitals.
One driver managed to get out of the wreck without a single scratch. Emergency crews closed down parts of southbound I-75 for hours to clear broken metal, sweep up glass, and haul away the damaged cars.
Investigators with the Ohio State Highway Patrol are still looking into what caused the initial slowdown. Officers are checking vehicle damage and talking to witnesses to piece together the exact timeline. The investigation remains open as White’s family and the Miamisburg community mourn her loss.
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