43
Crashes force multiple road closures
By Sarah Lehr
YOUNGSTOWN
Numerous crashes in the Mahoning Valley closed several roadways, which have since reopened, during the first snowy weekend of the season.
Officials shut down all lanes of state Route 711 about 5 p.m. Sunday due to a pileup involving between 30 and 40 cars.
City police Sunday night did not yet have an official count of the vehicles involved.
Officers asked many of the people involved in crashes to file reports today due to the high volume of accidents.
The collisions sent several people to the hospital, though police did not have information Sunday night about the severity of the injures.
Motorists complained of being stuck in traffic for hours, and the hectic scene necessitated assistance from multiple police, fire and traffic agencies, officials said.
Among those agencies responding were Youngstown police, Youngstown Fire Department, Girard police, Campbell police, Warren police, Mill Creek MetroParks police, Youngstown State University police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Officials also shut down all lanes of Interstate 680, parts of state Route 193, the Madison Avenue Expressway, Himrod Avenue, parts of U.S. Route 422 and Shirley Road near Humbolt Avenue.
At one point, as firefighters attempted to respond to the scene at state Route 193, a car collided with a fire ladder. No firefighters were injured during the incident.
A rollover crash at Interstate 80 westbound in Austintown led to the temporary closure of a portion of the interstate.
Meanwhile, also in Austintown, a series of crashes forced the closure of the Mahoning Avenue bridge near Meander Reservoir.
Ohio Department of Transportation crews worked amid the chaos to spread salt and de-ice roads that had frozen because of an adverse mixture of weather conditions.
Sunday in the Youngstown area was overcast with light snow showers, some hail and winds about 10 miles per hour. The temperature hovered around 30 degrees, and visibility was poor.