The Piqua Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal traffic crash that occurred on Interstate 75 northbound near milepost 75.
Upon arriving on scene, troopers determined that a 2010 Freightliner tractor-trailer had pulled onto the right shoulder within a construction zone, out of the traffic lanes, due to a mechanical issue. Several minutes after the Freightliner stopped, it was struck from behind by a 2005 Chevrolet Impala that had previously been traveling northbound on Interstate 75 but had driven out of its lane and into the closed lanes of the construction zone.
The driver of the Freightliner, 43-year-old Derek Blakely of Bethel, Ohio, was uninjured. The driver of the Chevrolet, 21-year-old Yukahn Riffell of Ansonia, Ohio, was pronounced dead as a result of the crash. The crash remains under investigation. Troopers from the Piqua Post were assisted on scene by the Troy Police Department, Troy Fire & EMS, and Dick Lumpkin’s Towing.