MILLBURY — A highway construction worker was seriously injured early Wednesday, Oct. 14, when a collision between two vehicles carried both of them into an active work zone on the Ohio Turnpike in Lake Township, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The crash happened at about 1:36 a.m. in the westbound lanes near Interstate 280 in Wood County.
The worker, identified by the patrol as Isaiah Roark, 29, of Parma, was struck inside the work area. He was taken by ground ambulance to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo with serious injuries. No update on his condition was released in the patrol’s initial account of the crash.
Investigators said the sequence began as a Chevrolet Silverado, driven by Johnathan Tefft, 23, of Bowling Green, was pulling from the active work zone into a traffic lane. A Volvo tractor-trailer driven by William Manning, 35, of Bedford, struck the Silverado, and the force of that impact sent both vehicles into the work area, where Roark was hit.
Tefft suffered injuries described as non-life-threatening and was taken to ProMedica Bay Park Hospital. Manning also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. The patrol did not announce any charges or citations in its initial report.
Several agencies responded alongside troopers, including the Lake Township Fire Department, Troy Township EMS, the Northwood Fire Department and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, with towing assistance at the scene. Their response closed out the overnight emergency in the work zone while troopers documented the crash.
The patrol’s Swanton post is continuing the investigation. As with other work-zone crashes, investigators are expected to examine how the vehicles were moving as they entered and left the active area, along with the conditions in the westbound lanes at the time.
For drivers crossing Northwest Ohio, the crash is an overnight reminder of why work zones carry reduced speeds and lane restrictions even when traffic is light. The patrol has not said when additional findings will be released, and anyone with information about the 1:36 a.m. crash is being directed to the Swanton post as the investigation continues.