BOTKINS – Two residents of Morrow, Ohio, were killed in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 Monday afternoon.
Larry E. Warner, age 71 and Penny S. Warner, age 71 of Morrow, Ohio, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Troopers of the Piqua Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to a nine vehicle fatal crash that occurred at approximately 4:26 p.m. Monday. The crash took place on the southbound lanes of Interstate 75 near exit 104. The interstate was closed from US 33 in Auglaize County to the crash site. Traffic was rerouted to County Road 25A to state Route 219 in Botkins. The interstate was reopened to traffic around 9 p.m.
A total of nine vehicles were involved including two tractor trailers. The crash occurred as traffic had slowed down due to a previous crash near milepost 103.
At least seven other people were injured. All injured persons were transported to Lima Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Troopers from the Patrol’s Crash Reconstruction Unit are assisting with the investigation.
According to post commander Lt. Joe Gebhart, it could take months before the final report is completed.
“With a crash that involves multi-vehicles, it takes a lot of work to gt it done and fugue out the sequence of events. Part of this is to find if anyone was at fault.”
Gebhart said the vehicles will all be checked and points of collision will be reviewed.
“We’ll be interviewing everyone involved,” he said, “which hasn’t started yet” since people were hospitalized following the crash. The patrol will also be reviewing any video that might be available from the semi-trucks involved in the crash.
When the report is complete, he said, it will be turned over to the prosecutor’s office for review.
The Botkins Fire Department, Anna Rescue, St. Johns Rescue, Wapakoneta EMS and the Ohio Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation at this time.
