GERMAN TWP., Clark County — UPDATE @ 10:25 a.m.:
Three people were hurt, including one person who was trapped inside an SUV for 40 minutes, after a crash involving a trash truck and two other vehicles in northern Clark County Friday morning.
>>PHOTOS: 3 hurt in head-on crash involving trash truck in northern Clark County Friday
The crash happened around 8:10 a.m. on West County Line Road between U.S. 68 and Upper Valley Pike in German Twp.
The driver of a Mini Cooper attempted to pass a Rumpke trash truck that was stopped and collecting trash on the side of West County Line Road, state troopers told News Center 7.
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The Mini Cooper crashed head-on with the Chevrolet Tahoe, sending both vehicles into the trash truck.
The driver of the Chevrolet Tahoe SUV was pinned inside their vehicle for 40 minutes until rescue crews were able to free them from the wreckage.
The driver of the Tahoe, who was not identified, was flown to Miami Valley Hospital by CareFlight medical helicopter, firefighters told News Center 7. Two other people were also injured in the crash and were taken by ground ambulance to Springfield Regional Medical Center.
The conditions of those injured were not immediately known, however firefighters said all three people were alert and talking after the crash.
The Rumpke driver was outside the truck when the crash happened however they were not injured and was able to avoid the crash.
“We appreciate the quick response of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and German Township, and we are working with them to conduct a thorough investigation of today’s incident to piece together what happened,” Rumpke spokesperson Molly Yeager said in a statement to News Center 7.
Yeager added there have been three similar incidents involving Rumpke drivers in the last three weeks.
“These incidents serve as an important reminder for drivers to slow down when approaching waste and recycling vehicles or any service vehicles working in the roadway,” Yeager said.
Additional details were not available. We’ll update this story as we learn more.