Central Ohio Crashes Kill 1, Injure Several Others

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A night of celebration turned fatal on the east side of Columbus overnight when a driver crashed on the ramp of Easton Way getting onto I-270.

But it wasn’t the crash that killed the driver.

A witness reported seeing the man get out of the crashed vehicle and jump over the side wall, dropping roughly 50 feet to the ground.

He was pronounced dead 20 minutes after police received the call. Investigators were working to determine why the man jumped.

Near Dublin on the city’s Northwest Side, a driver heading the wrong way down I-270 at Sawmill crashed into two other vehicles and had to be extricated. It happened just before 1:30 this morning.

Police shutdown eastbound traffic on the freeway. Two people were transported to Riverside Hospital: one in serious condition, the other in stable condition. Police told NBC4 they suspect the driver was drunk.

On the Northeast Side, a Minerva Park police officer looking to make a traffic stop at Cleveland and Morse had to chase a fleeing motorcycle driver. The chase didn’t last long, though. One minute later, the
motorcycle crashed at the intersection of Cleveland and Sale. The motorcycle driver was taken to OSU Medical Center in critical condition.

NBC4 tried unsuccessfully to reach Columbus Police accident investigators to receive updated conditions on the drivers.