(WJW) – Video just released to the FOX 8 I-Team gives us a new look inside the scene of a deadly pile-up on the Ohio Turnpike.
A new report on the crash shows one big question cannot be answered.
Meanwhile, as this comes to light, one family torn apart by that massive crash is speaking out for the first time.
It happened Christmas weekend on the border of Erie County and Sandusky County.
Four people died while 62 others were hurt.
We obtained new body camera video from the Ohio State Highway Patrol. It shows a trooper taking a very long walk through the wreckage.
The video shows close-up views of tractor-trailers and cars crashed. Some cars can be seen completely under big trucks and crushed. Others were barely recognizable as cars because of the damage.
But, a new report by the patrol says investigators can’t determine who is to blame for starting it all.
The I-Team spoke to a Cleveland woman who suffered serious injuries and survived, but she lost her husband. Francisco Martinez-Gutierrez died. His wife spoke to us through an interpreter.
“He was my inspiration. The reason to go forward,” she said.
We also asked what she remembers about the crash.
“She didn’t know what was going on in front of her, and they received the first impact,” the interpreter said. “Then they just tried to take out the window to get out of the car, but, then, the second impact.”
Remember the big storm that weekend. The Highway Patrol report shows the pile-up happened with the -2 temperature and the -29 wind chill.
The investigation shows, “After reviewing the statements and (video), a specific at-fault vehicle was not discernible.”
But, no question about road conditions with the highway largely covered in snow and ice. The blowing snow made it hard for drivers to see cars and trucks had that had crashed ahead of them.
In fact, the weather made it hard for investigators to find evidence such as tire tracks. The report shows troopers had trouble telling how each crash happened
However, investigators did manage to get a little evidence from some video and technology.
The report shows one driver claimed he’d been doing 40 miles an hour when he ended up in the crash, but troopers found he had just passed a truck. It happened while the truck driver was doing 59 miles an hour on an icy highway.
The new, closer look at the damage shows why it’s no surprise the pile-up left four people dead and 62 hurt, including one survivor who lost a soulmate.
“It was a big loss for her and for the family,” the interpreter said.
The Cleveland man who died also left behind a 2-year-old boy.