Pedestrian Killed on SR 32 in Union Township, Eastgate Exit Shut Down

A pedestrian is dead after being struck on westbound Ohio 32 near Eastgate Boulevard in Union Township early Thursday morning, according to Union Township Police Chief Anthony Rees. The crash happened around 4:15 a.m., and the Eastgate Boulevard exit on westbound Ohio 32 remains closed until further notice as investigators work the scene.

According to initial emergency reports cited by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the driver told dispatchers a man ran out in front of her vehicle on Ohio 32. She reported that the man was face down in the road and not moving, and said she did not think he was breathing. Union Township fire crews responded to the scene but cleared it without taking anyone to the hospital, the newspaper reported, credited in part to a report from FOX19.

Investigation Underway as Troopers Remain on Scene

Chief Rees said an investigation into the crash is underway, and state troopers and traffic investigators remained on scene as of Thursday morning, per the same account. A spokesman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol said the agency was working to get an update on the case. It remains unclear whether the pedestrian was attempting to cross the multi-lane divided highway or was traveling along its shoulder, and whether lighting, speed, or nearby construction played any role in the collision.

The stretch of Ohio 32 near Eastgate Boulevard sits within the Eastern Corridor Program, a multi-phase Ohio Department of Transportation initiative converting high-volume surface intersections along the corridor into grade-separated interchanges, according to ODOT's Eastern Corridor Program materials. ODOT projections indicate traffic volumes on that stretch of SR 32 are expected to reach 79,000 vehicles per day. The department also has active construction restrictions in Union Township this month, including work on the Glen Este-Withamsville Road overpass bridge and nearby ramp modifications, per the Ohio Department of Transportation's weekly Clermont County traffic advisories.

Ohio Law Governs Pedestrian Access Near High-Speed Roadways

Ohio law places strict limits on pedestrian activity near roadways like Ohio 32. Under Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.051, pedestrians are barred from occupying any part of a freeway or limited-access highway except in official work capacities, medical emergencies, or vehicle breakdown situations, according to the Ohio General Assembly. A separate statute, Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.50, requires pedestrians to use sidewalks where available, and when none exist, to walk as near as practicable to the outer edge of the roadway facing oncoming traffic.

The crash comes amid a documented pattern of nighttime risk for pedestrians statewide and nationally. An Ohio State Highway Patrol traffic safety bulletin analyzing crash data from 2017 to 2022 found nearly half of all fatal pedestrian crashes in Ohio occurred between 6 p.m. and 11:59 p.m., with pedestrians found at fault in 53% of fatal pedestrian collisions. Nationally, the Governors Highway Safety Association has reported that nearly 77% of all pedestrian fatalities in the United States occur after dark.

Second Non-Motorist Death on SR 32 in Two Weeks

Thursday's crash marks the second fatal collision involving a non-motorist on Ohio 32 in the region within two weeks. On August 11, a 46-year-old Cincinnati man riding an electric bicycle was killed in a hit-and-run on SR 32 in nearby Sterling Township, in a case state troopers are still investigating after the driver fled the scene. Chief Rees, who has led the Union Township Police Department since March 2023 after 25 years with the agency, oversees a nationally accredited force serving more than 50,000 residents.

Preliminary data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows Clermont County had recorded five more crash fatalities year-to-date as of August 25 compared with the same period in 2025. That local uptick stands in contrast to the statewide trend: traffic fatalities across Ohio fell for a fourth consecutive year in 2025, dropping to 1,115 deaths from 1,157 in 2024, according to figures released by the Office of Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Public Safety, which credited targeted enforcement and engineering projects for the decline.