In what could be an entirely avoidable accident, an Ohio driver caused a multi-car pileup after stopping in the middle of a highway. The driver, reportedly, missed an off-ramp, which caused several vehicles to stop behind them, which led to the crash.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, reporting on a video posted by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the incident occurred on Wednesday, April 30, at around 5:25 p.m. The driver of a red van is shown stopping in the middle lane of Interstate 71 south in Columbus, Ohio.
The video shows that, apparently, the driver had missed their exit, located at the Interstate 670 interchange. The van comes to a complete stop and is shown attempting to move into the right lane of traffic, waiting for the lane to be clear.
Pileup Ensues
Shortly after, two other vehicles, a gray and a white van, stopped behind the red van. Moments later, however, a lighter gray van struck the white vehicle in the back, causing a vehicle pileup, involving all the aforementioned vehicles.
According to Fox 8, the victims involved suffered several bumps and bruises. Fortunately, however, no one suffered life-threatening injuries. Then, the video shows the red van making a right turn and driving away through the exit he had missed. The driver fled on I-670, not even suffering a dent on their vehicle.
ODOT Press Secretary Matt Bruning told Fox 8 that they decided to publish the video of the incident to warn other drivers about what not to do when facing a similar situation.
"They stopped because they missed their exit or the exit they just passed and that's the worst thing you can do on a highway," Bruning said. He added that there are thousands of other ramps that you can take in Ohio if you miss an exit. "What this driver did is extremely dangerous and the absolute worst thing you could do," Bruning sentenced.
There is no information available regarding the identity of the red van driver. Moreover, it is not clear whether the driver has been arrested or charged following the incident.
