3 vehicle crash on I-75 kills 1

LUNA PIER — A vehicle breakdown in an I-75 construction zone in Erie Township led to crashes that killed a truck driver and injured two other travelers early Sunday morning.

Eddie C. Dillard, 59, of Detroit, who was driving a box truck carrying Sunday’s edition of The Blade to Toledo from a printing plant in suburban Detroit, was pronounced dead at the scene of the 12:20 a.m. crash in the freeway’s southbound lanes between the Luna Pier and Erie Road interchanges, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported.

The truck hit two cars that were blocking the right lane after one of the cars had broken down and the other car hit it. Although injured in that initial crash, the rear car’s occupants had gotten out and climbed over a barrier wall for their safety, deputies said.

The truck rolled onto its side and blocked both open lanes of southbound I-75, while the two cars were pushed in front of it and also occupied the two lanes.

Cianna M. Rook, 18, and Sauedio A. Wertz, 18, both of Holland, were taken to ProMedica Toledo Hospital and were listed in stable condition afterward, the report said.

Because of the crash, many Blade deliveries Sunday were late or missed entirely, and the newspaper was not available in stores. The Blade suspended its paywall for the day so the public could read the day’s news online for free.

The sheriff’s office said the broken-down car, a black Ford Escape, was unoccupied and had its hazard lights flashing when the green Nissan Altima Ms. Rook drove hit it. Ms. Rook activated the Altima’s hazard lights as well before she and Mr. Wertz climbed over the work-zone barrier wall.

The truck crashed into the stopped cars “moments later,” said the sheriff’s statement, which cited “driver inattention” as a factor in the crash.

“Last night we were extremely saddened to learn that, while transporting Blade newspapers, Mr. Dillard was in a fatal accident on I-75 South in Erie Township,” The Blade said in a statement Sunday. “Our deepest sympathies go to his loved ones and all those who knew him. Our operations team at The Blade grieves the loss of their colleague, who is described as pleasant and dependable.”

The Erie Township and Morin Point fire departments, Michigan State Police, Monroe Community Ambulance, and Michigan Department of Transportation assisted the sheriff’s office at the scene. The crash remained under investigation later Sunday, and the sheriff’s office asked anyone with information about it to call 734-240-7548.