Fatal Accident SR 60 In Morgan County Update

MORGAN COUNTY, Ohio – Ohio State Highway Patrol says shortly after 4 a.m. Monday morning they received a call of an accident involving two vehicles in a serious crash on State Route 60.

When they arrived on scene, they found one vehicle pinned underneath a semi. The trailer of the semi was hauling flammable and hazardous hydrogen. Ohio State Highway Patrol Officer, Lieutenant Melanie Appleman, said the 2012 Kia driven by 44-year-old James Norman of McConnelsville was going North on SR 60, the semi was in the Southbound lane, but how everything exactly played out still needs to be investigated.

“We’re working to determine if he was backing in or if he was pulling out. We have some additional investigative leads that we’re following to come to a conclusion on that,” Appleman said.

She also said it was a collaborative effort with HAZMAT, Emergency Management Agency, and local Fire Departments for the clean up effort to make sure there were no leaks and to contain the area.

“There are some risk factor with that, especially we don’t want the material to leak or to cause any type of explosion or anything like that. So that’s why we called in as many additional resources as we could just to make sure everyone was safe,” Appleman added.

State Route 60 near McConnelsville has been reopened to the traffic. The driver of the semi was not injured.