A wrong-way driver caused multiple crashes on southbound Interstate 75 near the Cut in the Hill in Northern Kentucky early Saturday morning, according to police. Officers say they eventually spotted the car and rammed it with a cruiser to force it to stop.
The driver was identified as 36-year-old Nia Slaughter, according to FOX19, which reported that Covington Police Capt. Justin Bradbury confirmed her identity. Slaughter is accused of driving under the influence while traveling the wrong way along I-75 around 2 a.m. Saturday, per police.
Multiple police departments and fire crews were called to the scene on southbound I-75 near the Cut in the Hill after reports came in of a car heading into oncoming traffic, the outlet's report states. Police say Slaughter's wrong-way driving caused multiple crashes before officers caught up with her.
Officers Forced the Car to Stop
Once responding officers located the vehicle, they had to use a cruiser to force it to a stop, according to the same report. Despite the danger posed by a car traveling against traffic on a major interstate, Capt. Bradbury said no injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
The Cut in the Hill, a notoriously steep and winding stretch of I-75 near Covington, is already known among Northern Kentucky drivers as a high-risk zone even without a car going the wrong direction through it. Saturday's incident adds another entry to a stretch of highway that has seen wrong-way trouble before.
A Pattern of Wrong-Way Danger in the Region
Just months earlier, a separate wrong-way crash shut down I-71/75 northbound before the Brent Spence Bridge in Covington, according to Local 12. That crash happened around 12:15 a.m. when a driver traveling the wrong way southbound from Ohio hit a northbound vehicle head-on, and authorities said two people were hospitalized as a result.
Wrong-way crashes tend to be more severe than typical roadway collisions because they usually involve high-speed head-on or opposite-direction sideswipe impacts, according to the Federal Highway Administration. That guidance underscores just how differently Saturday's incident could have ended had officers not managed to stop Slaughter's car before it caused a more serious collision.
It remains unclear how Slaughter's vehicle ended up traveling the wrong direction on the interstate in the first place, and police have not detailed how long the roadway was affected by the multiple crashes. The extent of any property damage from the incident has also not been detailed by authorities.
