About 3:05 a.m., May 6, 1979, a 1976 Dodge van eastbound on State Route 2, near E. 305th Street, Willowick, Ohio, crossed the median and collided with a westbound 1971 Ford LTD. The van then proceeded a short distance and collided with a westbound 1976 Oldsmobile. In this collision, gasoline spilled from a ruptured fuel tank and the van and the Oldsmobile were engulfed in flames. Five of the six occupants in the Ford were killed instantly; the sixth occupant died on May 13, 1979. The van driver was ejected from his vehicle and injured seriously; the two occupants of the Oldsmobile escaped with minor injuries.