This information is preliminary and subject to change. Release date: Dec. 14, 2023
On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, about 8:52 a.m. eastern standard time, a 2019 Freightliner Cascadia truck-tractor in combination with a 2017 Strickland semitrailer (combination vehicle), operated by Mid-State Systems Inc., was traveling west in the right lane of Interstate 70 (I-70) near Etna, in Licking County, Ohio. At this location, I-70 was a divided, four-lane asphalt roadway with a 70-mph speed limit. As the combination vehicle reached the area of milepost 118.7, it encountered a traffic queue that had formed due to an earlier crash that occurred near milepost 117.2. The combination vehicle did not slow and struck the rear of a 2015 Nissan Murano, occupied by the driver and two passengers, traveling west in the right lane as it slowed for the traffic queue. The combination vehicle overrode the Nissan and collided with the rear of a 2009 Van Hool motorcoach occupied by the driver and 54 passengers. The motorcoach struck the rear of a 2006 Toyota Highlander which rotated counterclockwise while travelling forward. The Toyota then struck the left side of a 2014 Volvo combination vehicle before coming to rest in the left westbound lane. As the motorcoach continued traveling forward it also struck the rear of the semitrailer attached to the 2014 Volvo combination vehicle.
Following the impact between the 2019 Freightliner combination vehicle and the Nissan, a postcrash fire ensued that consumed the combination vehicle, the Nissan, and the rear of the motorcoach. The occupants of the Nissan and three motorcoach passengers were fatally injured. The drivers of the 2019 Freightliner combination vehicle, the motorcoach, and the Toyota as well as several motorcoach passengers were treated for injuries.
Parties to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation are:
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Ohio State Highway Patrol
- Ohio Department of Transportation
- Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
- Daimler Trucks North America
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events.
