A Bucyrus truck driver was killed Thursday morning in Marion when the tractor-trailer he was driving struck three parked vehicles, two utility poles, an embankment and a house before overturning, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. Thomas A. Brown, 41, of Bucyrus, died at the scene of the crash on South State Street near Gurley Avenue.
The crash happened at about 10:40 a.m. on Thursday, October 22, according to the patrol’s Marion post. Investigators said Brown was traveling north on South State Street in a 2016 Freightliner Cascadia when the truck struck a parked 2023 Jeep Cherokee, a 2012 Dodge Caravan and a 2006 BMW 520 along the east side of the roadway.
After the first impacts, the tractor-trailer traveled off the right side of the road, the patrol said. It struck two utility poles and an embankment, then hit a house before overturning.
The patrol said Brown was not wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash. No injuries were reported involving anyone in the house, and the parked vehicles that were struck were unoccupied.
Crews from several agencies responded to the scene. The Marion Police Department, the Marion Fire Department, the Marion Sanitation and Streets Department and the Marion County Coroner’s Office assisted, along with towing crews and FirstEnergy’s Ohio Edison, which responded for the damaged utility poles and lines.
The crash closed the work of clearing the scene for hours on Thursday as responders dealt with the overturned truck, the damaged vehicles and the utility damage along South State Street. Drivers in the area were directed around the scene while the investigation and cleanup continued.
The patrol’s Marion post is still investigating what caused the truck to strike the parked vehicles. No cause has been released, and investigators have not said whether speed, a medical issue or another factor played a role.
Anyone with information about the crash can contact the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Marion post. The patrol said the investigation remains ongoing, and additional details will be released as they are confirmed.
Photo: Jason Lawrence, CC BY