Names Released in Fatal I-70 Crash

The Zanesville Post of the State Highway Patrol is releasing more information from Thursday morning’s fatal accident on Interstate 70 in Zanesville.

Around 1:20 Thursday morning, 57-year-old Stanley E. Brooks of Mobile, Alabama was westbound on I-70 near mile marker 153 when his 2009 Freightliner semi-truck went off the right side of the roadway and struck the guardrail.  

The state patrol said the vehicle then re-entered the roadway and became disabled.  That’s when 50-year-old Thomas Seidl of Alliance, Ohio, who was also westbound, struck Brooks’ vehicle. 

Brooks’ vehicle caught fire on impact.  The Muskigum County Coroner’s office pronounced Brooks dead on the scene.  His vehicle was deemed a total loss while Seidl’s 2013 Volvo semi-truck suffered major front end damage.

The Ohio Department of Transportation detoured traffic via U.S. Route 40 for seven hours during cleanup.  Around 8:30 a.m. one lane of the interstate was opened back up to traffic.  Both lanes opened early Thursday afternoon.

The Zanesville Fire Department, Falls Township, National Trails Township, Muskingum County EMA, and the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office all assisted at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.