Fatal accident involving BGSU students

[gmartin]

A multi-vehicle accident has closed northbound Interstate 75 north of Bowling Green. Southbound vehicle in northbound lane. BGSU students apparently in northbound vehicle. The triple-fatality crash is near milepost 186 about five miles north of the city or about one mile south of the Ohio 582 exit. Bowling Green police are directing traffic from the Interstate through city and making adjustments to traffic lights on portions of North Main Street to keep traffic moving. The I-75 closure is expected to last many hours.


Thoughts and Prayers to all involved. Very strange place to have a wrong way crash near Rt 582 interchange.

[factman]

I-75 is open now, around 6:30am

[gmartin]

Thanks Factman for the update. Any new news on the students.

[h2oville rocket]

Four dead per the Blade. Two female BG students, a woman in the car with them and the driver of the other car. Two women hospitalized. No names released. Terrible tragedy-I don't understand how you can go the wrong way on an interstate short of some disabling factor like alcohol. State police were aware of the driver but couldn't get there in time.

[Falcon137]

From BGSU:

"It is with deep sadness that we report that five female students were involved in an automobile accident on I-75 this morning. Three young women have been killed and two have been injured. The University is working with law enforcement and hospital officials to notify the families of the victims.

This is a tragic day for the University. Our hearts go out with sympathy and solace to the families and friends of these young women.

We will provide updated information throughout the day as it becomes available."

Prayers to the families and friends of those affected. Sad day for the entire BGSU community.

[factman]

I just went by the accident site again and there is very little evidence of the crash, other than a few tire marks etc in the median. I heard earlier that they thought the wrong way driver may have gotten on I-75 around the Perrysburg area, which made me wonder if they might have come down the wrong ramp off US25 instead of going across the overpass. These "spring break" accidents seem to happen way to often!

[footballguy51]

If they got on at 25, that means they got on 475, then onto 75 (which means they came across the single lane overpass) and then got to where they were. If that's the case, they're lucky they didn't hit anybody at the 75/475 interchange. I think it might be more likely that it was at the US 20 entrance to I-75.

[factman]

You are probably right, but I would guess it is one of those two places.

[footballguy51]

Word is that they were heading up to the Detroit airport this morning to catch a flight for their spring break plans. Very unfortunate accident that occurred.

[nwofalconfan]

Latest information from the Sentinel-Tribune:

http://www.sent-trib.com/front-page/upd ... i-75-crash

Latest from the Blade:

http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/0 ... Green.html

[footballguy51]

The names have been released by the University. I received the following email from the President's office:

March 2, 2012
To the University Community,
It was with deep sadness that I learned this morning of the death of three of our students, as the result of a tragic auto accident. Two other students are hospitalized at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center with serious injuries; all of them are members of Alpha Xi Delta Women's Fraternity.
We send our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the students we lost today. They are Rebekkah Blakkolb of Aurora, Ohio, a junior in the College of Education and Human Development; Christina Goyett of Bay City, Michigan, a sophomore in the College of Education and Human Development; and Sarah Hammond of Yellow Springs, Ohio, a junior also in the College of Education and Human Development.
In addition, our thoughts and prayers are with the injured students, Angelica Mormile of Garfield Heights, Ohio, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences; and Kayla Somoles of Cleveland, a sophomore in the College of Education and Human Development.
It's hard to comprehend the loss of such young lives, and we feel deeply for their families and friends. The University mourns them and we will miss them greatly.
Please take advantage of the grief counseling we offer if you feel the need for support during this difficult time. Grief counseling is available from the BGSU Counseling Center. It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. They can be reached at 419-372-2081. For after-hours help, contact The Link, 1022 N. Prospect St., 419-352-1545.
Sincerely,

Mary Ellen Mazey, Ph.D.
President

[VDub26Falcon]

Parents should never have to bury their children. Thoughts and prayers heading the way of all thos involved.

[gmartin]

The car going the wrong way was a 69 yr old lady from Perrysburg. Obviously living in Perrysburg the lady should have been familiar with the area. The accident occurred 15 minutes after bars close. I believe Frickers is open until 2am. I don't know many 69 yr old women who drink but I have to say either alcohol was involved or simply a suicidal event. The reason I think the latter is because unless your drunk or this was suicide there are 7 u-turn areas between where she entered and the crash occurred. True your not suppose to use those areas but if I was heading the wrobg direction I would use them. Also, she could have exited at Rt 582. She was driving the wrong way for 6 miles. So to me this sounds like the act of a drunken lady or simply suicide. Thoughts and Prayers are with the family, and the whole BGSU community. Sad way to start spring break. Hopefully the remaining girls who are in critical condition will pull through. It would be nice if the BG basketball teams would dedicated the rest of their season in their memory.

[kdog27]

Horrible news. I remember the end of my senior trip to Panama City Beach in 2002 ending with the news of 6 girls being killed in KY on the way back home.

[transfer2BGSU]

The car going the wrong way was a 69 yr old lady from Perrysburg. Obviously living in Perrysburg the lady should have been familiar with the area. The accident occurred 15 minutes after bars close. I believe Frickers is open until 2am. I don't know many 69 yr old women who drink but I have to say either alcohol was involved or simply a suicidal event. The reason I think the latter is because unless your drunk or this was suicide there are 7 u-turn areas between where she entered and the crash occurred. True your not suppose to use those areas but if I was heading the wrobg direction I would use them. Also, she could have exited at Rt 582. She was driving the wrong way for 6 miles. So to me this sounds like the act of a drunken lady or simply suicide.

How can you be so cruel and insensitive?

First, if she did get on at I-75/US-20 in Perrysburg, she could easily have been confused. The entrance to I-75N and the exit from I-75N are next to one another. She very easily could have gotten confused and entered the exit lane and driven southbound.

If the above is true as far as WHERE she got on the interstate at - alcohol does not have to be involved for someone to make the error. And suicide does not have to be involved. She was driving at a slow rate of speed.

1. Elderly drivers drive at a slow rate of speed
2. If she wanted to kill herself, she had numerous chances to drive into concrete bridge abutments before the accident

This was a tragic accident in not only did three young women lose their lives (and the pain and grief that their families are going to go through) but two other young women were seriously injured and the little old lady also lost her life (and her family and grandchildren have lost someone special to them).

This does not sound like the act of a drunken lady or of a suicide.