Gregory Connors, a 43-year-old Youngstown man, was killed Friday afternoon when his van struck a stopped Subaru and then slammed into the back of a semi-trailer on eastbound Interstate 80 in Hubbard Township. The three-vehicle crash shut down lanes near milepost 235 and left investigators from the Ohio State Highway Patrol still piecing together exactly how it unfolded.
According to tribtoday.com, Connors was driving a 2020 GMC Savana eastbound in the left lane when he failed to slow down for traffic that had already come to a stop ahead of him. He clipped the right rear portion of a 2011 Subaru Legacy driven by 23-year-old Nicholas Shields of Elyria, who was stopped in the left lane behind traffic, before veering into the right lane and striking the rear of a trailer attached to a Peterbilt semi-truck operated by 36-year-old Karanjit Singh of Levittown, New York. Both the Subaru and the semi were stopped in traffic at the time, with the truck sitting slightly ahead of the Subaru in the right lane.
Connors was transported by Hubbard EMS to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Youngstown, where he was pronounced deceased, the outlet reported. It remains unknown whether Connors was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, and the crash remains under investigation by the Warren Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Southington.
Conflicting Details on Timing and Vehicle Count
Exactly when the crash happened is not entirely settled. Tribtoday.com reported the crash occurred at 4:55 p.m. in Hubbard Township, while WFMJ reported that first responders were called to the scene around 6 p.m. the same day. A separate WKBN account said Connors failed to slow down ahead of stopped traffic before 5 p.m.
There is also a discrepancy over how many vehicles were involved. Most reporting, including the account from tribtoday.com, describes a three-vehicle crash involving Connors's van, the Subaru and the semi-truck and trailer. However, an earlier WKBN report on the incident stated that troopers initially described two vehicles as involved, before later identifying the Peterbilt as part of the crash sequence.
Highway Shut Down as Crews Responded
Eastbound I-80 was temporarily closed following the crash but has since reopened, according to the same WKBN report identifying Connors. WFMJ reported that the crash happened along Interstate 80 eastbound near mile marker 235 and that no one else was injured in the crash.
A wide range of emergency responders worked the scene. Assisting agencies included Medivac, Liberty Fire, Brookfield Fire and EMS, Hubbard Fire and EMS, the Hubbard Township Police Department, Underwood's Towing and C & C Towing, per tribtoday.com's reporting.
Second Fatal I-80 Crash in Hubbard Area This Year
Friday's crash is not the only fatal incident to strike this stretch of highway in recent months. A Hubbard man died in August after being struck by a tractor-trailer along Interstate 80, according to a separate WFMJ report. As with Friday's crash, the investigation into Connors's death remains open, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol has not released additional findings.
