A six-vehicle crash on westbound Interstate 70 near Mad River Township left one truck driver dead and two men from the Dayton area hospitalized with serious injuries early Friday. The wreck happened at 2:22 a.m. just west of mile marker 48, closing all westbound lanes and slowing traffic.
According to preliminary findings from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a 2025 Freightliner Cascadia tractor-trailer driven by 45-year-old Carl Koonce of Columbus lost control while traveling west and struck the median concrete barrier before overturning and coming to rest across the westbound lanes, as reported by WHIO TV. Koonce was not injured in the crash. Moments later, a second tractor-trailer, a 2023 Freightliner Cascadia driven by 34-year-old Vicky Arora of Jamaica, New York, struck the median barrier and Arora was ejected over the wall onto railroad tracks running beneath the overpass, where she died at the scene.
A 2025 Kia Sorento then struck the overturned trailer, continued off the right side of the roadway and overturned. The Sorento's driver, 62-year-old Richard Evans of Dayton, and his passenger, 56-year-old Ronald White of New Lebanon, both suffered serious injuries and were taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, which operates an American College of Surgeons-verified Level I Trauma Center and treats more than 3,300 major trauma patients a year, according to Premier Health.
Debris Field Damages Three More Vehicles Across the Median
The initial collision scattered debris across the eastbound lanes as well, damaging three additional vehicles — two passenger cars and a tractor-trailer combination — though none of their occupants reported injuries, the station's report notes. The Ohio Department of Transportation closed all westbound lanes near State Route 4 and diverted traffic off the freeway at Enon Road, while debris affected eastbound traffic, according to an eagledayton.com report. The crash remains under investigation by the Springfield Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The crash remained under investigation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations under 49 CFR § 392.16 require all commercial drivers operating in interstate commerce to wear seat belts, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Updated conditions for Evans and White at Miami Valley Hospital were not immediately available.
A Prior Incident Involved an Engine Strike
A prior incident involved an engine being struck while blocking a roadway for an earlier crash, according to Firefighter Close Calls.
Friday's fatality adds to Clark County's 2026 traffic toll. Clark County sees over 3,300 motor vehicle accidents annually, with 3,670 total crashes reported in 2025 and more than 600 resulting in injury, according to The Fitch Law Firm.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol advises drivers approaching stopped emergency or disabled vehicles on multi-lane highways to move over or slow down.
The corridor remains a place where first responders and drivers face risks.
