COLUMBUS – An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper was in stable condition after suffering serious injuries when he was struck during a chain-reaction crash involving a half dozen vehicles on I-70 in Licking County late Thursday night.
Trooper Austin Crow, assigned to the patrol‘s Granville post, was struck while outside his cruiser near the Buckeye Lake exit investigating a crash at 11:21 p.m., patrol spokesman Lt. Nathan Dennis said.
Crow was taken to Mount Carmel East Hospital in stable condition and another driver involved in the crash suffered a minor injury, Dennis said.
Troopers were called to assist a disabled 2017 GMC U-Haul vehicle in the westbound left lane of travel at approximately 9:30 p.m., when a crash involving a 2017 GMC Acadia and a 2021 Subaru Forester occurred in the same area.
A westbound Volvo tractor-trailer attempting to change lanes struck another truck, which struck the wrecker from Jae’s Towing which had been called to the scene, Dennis said.
The tow truck, with its overhead lights activated, was forced into the other vehicles and Crow was injured in the chain-reaction collision.
The commercial vehicle that was struck from the attempted lane change did not stop and continued driving, Dennis said.
The westbound lanes of the interstate were closed for several hours overnight after the incident.
All troopers on scene were wearing reflective outerwear.
The crash remains under investigation.