MIAMI COUNTY — UPDATE @ 4:20 p.m.:
Two men, one from Brookville and another from Franklin were killed after two tires came off an axle of trailer and crashed into a van on I-75 in Miami County Monday morning.
>> PHOTOS: 2 dead after wheel falls off semi on I-75, slams into van carrying 5 people
The driver of the van, David Wright, 77, of Franklin and a passenger, Jon Weidel, 72, of Brookville, were identified as the men killed in the crash, state troopers said in a media release Monday afternoon.
The crash happened around 11 a.m. on I-75 two miles north of the Northwoods Boulevard exit in Miami County.
A preliminary investigation found a semitrailer traveling south had two tires from the axle of the trailer it was pulling dislodge from the trailer. Those tandem tires went through the median and into the northbound lanes of I-75.
The tires first sideswiped a Dodge minivan, driven by a Lyle Prewitt, 54, of Union City, Indiana. Then the tandem tires hit the Chevrolet van, driven by Wright, head-on sending the tires fully into the van.
Wright and Weidel were both pronounced dead at the scene, state troopers said.
Two other people in the van, identified as James Keller, 58, of Franklin, and Ray Adams, 71, of Morrow, were taken to Miami Valley Hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries. The fifth person in the van, identified as Charles Backus III, 79, of Centerville, was taken to Upper Valley Medical Center but did not suffer any injuries.
State troopers were initially looking for the semitrailer that was involved in the incident but have since located it and the driver. The driver of the semi was later identified as Lyndon Hershberger, 59, of Winchester, Ohio.
State troopers told News Center 7 it is still unknown and under investigation if Hershberger was even aware that the tires came off the trailer.
Hershberger and Prewitt were not hurt in the incident.
The crash and investigation blocked multiple lanes on northbound I-75 for hours. All lanes reopened around 2:30 p.m.
We’ll continue to update this story as we learn more.
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FIRST REPORT
Two people are dead and three others were injured after a crash on Interstate 75 in Miami County Monday morning.
Around 11 a.m., the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) received reports that the wheels fell off of a commercial vehicle and hit a van, causing the van to crash.
Tipp City fire officials on scene told News Center 7 that an initial investigation showed that a wheel fell off of a semi-trailer traveling southbound on I-75. The wheel went over the median wall and clipped the mirror of a car traveling northbound before hitting a van, causing it to crash.
Officials on scene said there were five people in the van at the time of the crash. The driver and a passenger were killed in the crash.
The remaining three passengers were taken to local hospitals. Their conditions are unknown at this time.
Investigators are currently looking for the semi involved in the incident, as they reported it did not stop after losing its wheel.
The right lane was closed until roughly 2:30 p.m.
The crash remains under investigation.
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