Police ID victim from I-75 fatal crash

WEST CARROLLTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A Michigan man died from his injuries following a crash in the West Carrollton construction zone on Interstate 75 early Friday morning.

Charles Rice, 65, of Farmington Hills, Mich. was pronounced dead at Miami Valley Hospital. Four others were injured in the crash that started when a truck drove through a lane closed for construction and crashed into a ditch where the lane ended.

While the driver of the truck was on the phone with 911 dispatchers, a car drove down the same closed lane, bounced off the top of the truck and then landed on the other side of the ditch.

Officials say it's not as simple as one vehicle following the other.

"The second vehicle came along according to the first driver about 8 minutes later," says Lt. Douglas Eck with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

So we asked ODOT officials whether the closed lane is properly signed.

"Our engineers do go out and check our construction projects frequently to make sure everything is where it needs to be as far as barrels, signs, that type of thing," says Mandi Abner with ODOT District 7.

Investigators with the state patrol say the construction zone appears to be intact.

They're looking into what caused those drivers to both take the wrong lane minutes apart.