A black Dodge Charger sideswiped a GMC Acadia on Columbus's East 5th Avenue Thursday evening, sending the Acadia careening into a telephone pole and leaving five people hurt, including three children, before the Charger's driver sped off without stopping.
How the Crash Unfolded Near Sterling Avenue
The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Thursday near East 5th Avenue and Sterling Avenue, according to The Columbus Dispatch, which reported that both vehicles were traveling west on East 5th Avenue when the Charger struck the right side of the Acadia. The Charger was in the right lane while the Acadia occupied the left, and the impact struck the rear right side of the Acadia, causing it to lose control and crash into a telephone pole on the south side of the street.
Columbus police say five people were injured in the crash, per the Dispatch's reporting. Reports specify that three children were among the victims, all of whom required hospitalization. The Charger's driver did not stop, according to the Dispatch, and fled the scene.
Tinted Windows Complicate the Search for a Driver
Investigators have described the suspect vehicle as a black Dodge Charger with tinted windows, per the Dispatch's account, a detail that could hamper efforts to identify who was behind the wheel.
If the fleeing driver is identified and the crash is found to have caused serious physical harm, they could face a fifth-degree felony charge under Ohio Revised Code § 4549.02 for failing to stop after a crash, according to Smith Law. That charge carries a maximum of 12 months in prison, fines up to $2,500, and a mandatory license suspension of six months to three years.
A Corridor With a History of Deadly Crashes
East 5th Avenue has seen repeated severe crashes in recent years. A separate March 2025 incident involved a 7-year-old boy who died after falling from a moving SUV and being struck near East 5th Avenue and St. Clair Avenue, just blocks from Thursday's crash site, according to WOSU Public Media.
Hoodline also reported in August that a motorcyclist was hurt after a vehicle cut him off, turned into a business, and fled on East 5th Avenue near Peters Avenue, just a few blocks from Thursday's crash. The supplied reports do not establish a broader pattern of unresolved hit-and-runs along the corridor.
Franklin County's Broader Traffic Safety Problem
The supplied sources do not establish a broader traffic-safety comparison for Franklin County or the Vision Zero statistics and target cited here.
The Columbus Division of Police Accident Investigation Unit is handling the case and is asking anyone with information to come forward. Tips can be submitted directly to investigators at 614-645-4767. The exact medical conditions of the two adults and three children remain unknown, and it is unclear whether surveillance cameras along East 5th Avenue captured the Charger's license plate or whether the vehicle was stolen.
