1 dies when SUV and semi hit head-on on turnpike

LORAIN COUNTY , Ohio (WJW) – A 78-year-old woman was driving the wrong way on the Ohio Turnpike when her Toyota Rav 4 collided head-on with a semi-truck, reports the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The fatal crash took place shortly before 9 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26 in Amherst Township .

The two vehicles hit head-on in the middle lanes, said troopers.

The wrong-way driver died at the scene, according to officials, who identified her as Rita M. Robinson Whitman, 78, of Willoughby. Officials said she was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes.

The driver of the semi-truck has been identified as Samantha Taylor, 33, of McComb. She suffered minor injuries.

There has been no word on what caused the 78-year-old to be driving the wrong way.

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