Fatal, double semi wreck shuts down I-75 for hours 

Interstate 75 was shut down on Tuesday morning after a crash between two tractor trailers in front of a rest area. 

The accident happened on April 19th just before 9 a.m. in Monroe, Ohio. 

According to 9 ABC News, the accident occurred on the northbound side of Interstate 75, around three miles past the Ohio 129 exit near Liberty Way, in front of the rest area. Truck driver James Barnett III was driving a 2022 Kenworth hauling aluminum coils in the center lane of the highway behind a 2016 Freightliner hauling an empty trailer that braked suddenly “for unknown reasons.”

Barnett swerved to avoid the rig, but ended up striking the back of the empty trailer anyway. Barnett’s truck then overturned, skidded off the left side of the roadway, and smashed into a concrete median. 

Barnett was ejected and died as a result of his injuries. No further information on injuries has been released and no charges have been announced as a result of the wreck. 

Debris from the crash caused traffic disruptions on both sides of the highway. The northbound side was shut down for around four hours for cleanup. It has since been reopened.