Passenger killed in fiery interstate crash in Ohio

WESTFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKBN) — A Painesville, Ohio, woman was killed after the pickup truck she was riding in was forced off the road and flipped onto railroad tracks, where it caught fire.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a Ford F-250 pickup was traveling north on I-71 around 11:42 a.m. Sunday at about 11:42 a.m. Sunday was traveling north on Interstate 71 when it was sideswiped by a 19-year-old driver in a Chrysler 200, who troopers say was “traveling at a high rate of speed.”

The pickup was pulling a fifth-wheel trailer, and it careened out of control after the collision. The truck detached from the trailer, went over a bridge overpass and landed on railroad tracks below, where it burst into flames.

The driver of the pickup suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital. A passenger in the truck, whom authorities identified as Tracey Hodgkinson, 52, was ejected from the truck and taken to Akron City Hospital by medical helicopter, but later died.

The 19-year-old driver of the Chrysler was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation.