A 56-year-old Minnesota truck driver is dead after his semi-tractor struck a parked construction excavator in a closed work zone on State Route 420 in Wood County, Ohio. Michael Ivorsen, of Jordan, Minnesota, was pronounced dead at the scene after the truck veered off the road and came to rest in the median.
Reports differ on exactly when the crash happened. According to yahoo.com, Ivorsen died Saturday night, while the Shelby News Reporter places the crash on Friday night, November 6. Both accounts agree on the core details: deputies responded to the scene on southbound S.R. 420 between S.R. 163 and Truman Road in Troy Township at 8:08 p.m.
Truck Veered Around Closure Signs
Ivorsen was driving a 2019 semi-tractor without a trailer when he reportedly drove around road-closure signs and entered an inactive construction zone, per the Yahoo report. The semi was traveling in the left lane of the closed roadway when it struck a Caterpillar excavator that had been parked to protect a cut across the road surface, the same report notes.
After the impact, the truck left the roadway on the left side, crossed into the median, and came to a stop there, the report states. Ivorsen did not appear to be wearing a seat belt, authorities said, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigation Continues, No Signs of Impairment
Investigators do not suspect impairment played a role in the crash, which remains under investigation, the outlet reported. As of Sunday, the inquiry was still ongoing, according to the Shelby News Reporter's account, and the station notes that the crash is still under investigation.
Several agencies responded to assist at the scene, including Pemberville Fire and EMS, Troy Township Fire and EMS, and Or's Towing, per the Shelby News Reporter's reporting. Representatives from the Ohio Department of Transportation also responded to assess the crash site, and the Wood County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation.
The crash adds to a troubling statewide pattern of work-zone collisions. A 2025 bulletin on work-zone safety reported 92 fatal crashes that killed 101 people statewide, with another 8,165 people injured, and noted that fatal work-zone crashes in 2024 rose 22 percent above the five-year average from 2019 to 2023, according to dam.assets.ohio.gov.
