OHIO — A fatal crash early Monday morning shut down all lanes and access points to Interstate 70 East for more than six hours.
The incident marked the third traffic-related death in the city within a 12-hour span.
The crash occurred around 1 a.m. near the Interstate 270 interchange when a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, driven by 27-year-old Lakayla Willis, veered off the right side of the road and struck a concrete wall.
The impact sent the vehicle across westbound lanes, through the median, and over a guardrail before landing in the eastbound lanes.
A 2021 Freightliner semi-truck traveling eastbound collided with the Jeep, sending it to the south side of the highway.
Emergency responders transported Willis to a local hospital in critical condition, where she was pronounced dead at 2:32 a.m. No other injuries were reported.
Authorities closed I-70 East, along with both exit ramps from I-270 North and South, until approximately 6:45 a.m. as investigators worked at the scene.
The crash was one of three fatal incidents in Columbus within 12 hours. Earlier, a seven-year-old boy died after falling from an SUV and being run over in the Milo-Grogan neighborhood.
Another person was killed in a head-on collision on Cleveland Avenue in Minerva Park.
Police continue to investigate the cause of the I-70 crash.
