SANDUSKY COUNTY, OH (WTOL) - One person was killed and three others injured when a semi truck crashed into a road maintenance work zone on the Ohio Turnpike Tuesday morning.
It happened just west of State Route 53 near Fremont.
Forest John Fletcher, 53, of Perrysburg was killed. He had been a Turnpike worker for more than 26 years.
"He wasn't just a worker, he was a dad and more people need to think about that. That could be somebody's daddy out there," said the Fletcher family in a statement Wednesday. "Everyone needs to pay more attention in vehicles."
Two other commission workers were flown to the hospital by air ambulance. James Roudebush of Millbury and Anthony Stout of Clyde were taken by life flight to the University of Toledo Medical Center. Both were listed in critical condition Tuesday afternoon. As of Wednesday afternoon, they are no information patients and there is no update on their conditions.
A fourth Turnpike worker escaped injury after he heard an air horn warning.
The driver of the semi, Edward Mills, 53, of Doylestown, was also flown to Mercy St. Vincent's. Mills was driving corrosive materials from Akron to Lima for a company called Distech Incorporated. Mills was listed in serious condition Tuesday, but his condition has worsened Wednesday and he is now in critical condition.
The Milan Post of the Ohio State Highway patrol confirmed the semi crashed where workers were making snow and ice repair on a bridge. An Ohio Turnpike Commission pickup truck was thrown upside down. A Turnpike commission flatbed truck with road signs in the back was also involved.
The crew involved is a Turnpike commission crew based out of Elmore, which is not affiliated with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The westbound lanes of the Turnpike were closed for hours after the crash.
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