LIMA — Slippery roadways were the cause of several accidents in the Lima area Monday. Snow fell for most of the day, making for some treacherous conditions.
The front end of a tractor-trailer caught fire Monday morning after it rear-ended a tanker carrying carbon dioxide on Interstate 75.
At 10:50 a.m., Perry Township Fire and EMS responded to the accident in the northbound lanes at mile marker 122 , the state Route 65 exit. The tractor-trailer's driver, Parshot Sharm, was able to exit before his vehicle caught fire.
Sharm, 54, of Brampton, Ontario, was taken by Perry Township EMS to Lima Memorial Health System for minor injuries. Troopers on the scene said he suffered a minor head wound.
The tanker driver, Robert H. Passig, 68, of Niles, Mich., also was taken to Lima Memorial Health System for minor injuries.
The accident happened when Passig slowed down for a van that had spun off the left side of the interstate in the northbound lanes, said Sgt. Matt Schmenk, of the Lima post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Sharm failed to maintain an assured clear distance ahead and struck Passig’s tanker, causing Sharm's cab to burst into flames. The carbon dioxide in the tanker did not pose a threat of exploding, Schmenk said.
Traffic on northbound I-75 was at a complete standstill for a few hours, as both northbound lanes were blocked off.
Earlier in the day, a woman and a man were taken to Blanchard Valley Health System after a two-vehicle crash on county Road 180 between state Route 568 and state Route 37 near Findlay, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Brittani Stutz, 23, of Upper Sandusky, drove a 2006 Ford Escape northbound and went off the right side of the roadway, over-corrected, lost control, crossed the center line and struck the driver’s side of a 2012 Dodge that was traveling southbound, driven by Raymond Ball, 61, of Findlay.
Stutz’s vehicle spun around and came to rest facing south in the southbound lane, where it was pushed off the right side of the roadway and came to rest in a field area.
Both vehicles sustained heavy damage and were towed from the scene. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts, the sheriff’s office reported. Blanchard Valley Health System refused to release any information on either patient.
Stutz was cited for operation without reasonable control. Vanlue Fire Department, Hanco EMS, Lowery’s Towing and Dick’s Towing all assisted at the scene.
In another accident, a car struck a pole near Cairo at 2:30 p.m. Emergency crews responded to a woman trapped in her car by downed power lines at 8725 Ottawa Road.
The woman was injured but alert at the scene. Cairo EMS and the Allen County Sheriff’s Office both assisted at the scene. There were no further details available at 5 p.m.
Another car ran into a tree in Auglaize County at 1509 Fisher Road, scanner traffic indicated. There was no further information on that crash.
