WOMAN DIES IN HEAD ON COLLISION

AFTER GOING WRONG WAY ON ROUTE 57

A driver going the wrong way was the probable cause of a fatal crash on Route 57 in Elyria between North Abbe and Cleveland Street Sunday night.

Brian Arndt was traveling northbound on Route 57 from Cleveland Street following behind a red SUV when the crash occurred. “The green car was coming down the road going the wrong way, they were going south in our lane and it crashed into this red Blazer. I had to hit my brakes quickly so I wouldn’t crash into the back of the Blazer.” Arndt said that he was doing about 50mph at the time of the crash and estimates the Blazer around the same speed. At the point of impact Arndt said that the back end of the Blazer lifted up off the ground.

Arndt had one of the people in his car contact 9-1-1 while he went to check on the people involved in the crash. “The guy in the passenger seat of the Blazer had a lot of cuts to his face and was bleeding pretty bad. The woman in the green car wasn’t breathing when I got over there so we told 9-1-1 that they had better get some help here for her right away.” Arndt also provided his car as refuge to the two victims from the Blazer until Paramedics were available to treat and transport them.


Captain Joseph Pronesti of the Elyria Fire Department said that they were first told that they had a crash with no entrapment. “While we were responding we were notified that we had entrapment. When we arrived we found three victims, two in the Blazer and one in the Honda Civic. The female in the Honda was trapped, pinned by the dashboard. It took us about 10 minutes to remove the door to be able to extricate her but she was in full arrest and they pronounced her here at the scene.”

Captain Pronesti said that they had immediately put LifeFlight in the air when they thought extrication would lengthy; they also dispatched North Ridgeville Fire Department for extra manpower. “We canceled both after we were able to get her out of the car as quickly as we did and with her being pronounced here at the scene by Medical Control we canceled Metro LifeFlight.”

The Elyria Police Department had their Accident Reconstructionists on the scene starting the investigation. The names have not yet been released.


To see more photos from the scene: CLICK HERE


Remember if you are driving and see an accident scene ahead, “SLOW DOWN AND MOVE OVER”. Allow Police, Fire, EMS and Tow Services to do their jobs without becoming a victim.