COLUMBUS, Ohio – A passerby is being getting credit for trying to rescue two women from a burning Jeep Liberty after a deadly crash on I-70 on the East Side early Sunday morning.
Police say Melita Briggs lost control of the vehicle in the westbound lanes of I-70 between I-270 and S. Hamilton Road at approximately 2:45 a.m.
The Jeep crossed the center line, struck the wire guardrail in the median and hit a support pole for an overhead sign with its front passenger-side door before bursting into flames, accident investigators said.
Police say a passerby pulled Candis Brown from the back seat and Joslin Winborn from underneath the vehicle. Winborn, 22, died at the scene along with the front-seat passenger, whose name was not released, while Briggs and Brown survived.
The cause of the accident is still being investigated.
Briggs, 31, was listed in serious condition at Grant Medical Center. Brown, 27, was taken to OSU Medical Center in critical condition.
The names of the victims were unavailable early Monday morning.