On July 22, 1981, about 5:50 a.m., a 1978 Ford van occupied by seven persons was traveling eastbound on the Ohio Turnpike in a construction zone near Cleveland, Ohio, where traffic was operating in the eastbound lanes. Shortly after the van entered the construction zone, it drifted into the opposing traffic lane and collided nearly head-on with a GMC tractor-semitrailer traveling westbound. The van driver and five van passengers were killed, and one van passenger was seriously injured. The driver of the tractor-semitrailer received minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the van driver to maintain his vehicle within the proper traffic lane. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the lack of positive separation of opposing traffic in the construction work zone.
Samenvatting