CINCINNATI, OHIO — A semi-truck driver died Sunday evening after his truck crashed into a wall on Fort Washington Way near the Lytle Tunnel on Interstate 71, caught fire, and trapped him inside the cab. Bystanders and first responders both attempted to rescue him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash occurred at approximately 6:51 p.m. on northbound I-71 near the entrance to the Lytle Tunnel, not far from Heritage Bank Center. Cincinnati fire officials said the truck was heading toward I-71 when it struck a barrier wall and burst into flames. The driver became trapped inside. Cincinnati Fire Department crews took approximately six minutes to reach the scene — longer than typical due to the difficult location. By then, bystanders had already rushed in with fire extinguishers attempting to free the driver.
One witness described the horrifying scene to local media. “As he’s trying to jump out, he gets stuck on the seat belt, and when he gets stuck on the seat belt, it was just like he caught on fire,” the witness said. “I’ve never seen nothing like that before. It was just traumatizing, because it was like we couldn’t help, and we wanted to help.” The witness said the entire situation unfolded within minutes.
The driver’s identity has not been publicly released. The crash remains under investigation by Cincinnati Police.
The Fire and Its Impact
Smoke and flames were visible from miles away, stretching up toward the U.S. Route 50 overpass directly above the crash site. The fire burned under the overpass and a large amount of diesel fuel spilled onto the roadway. Fort Washington Way — the segment of I-71 running through downtown Cincinnati — closed indefinitely following the crash, along with U.S. Route 50 in both directions near the Lytle Tunnel and portions of Columbia Parkway. The closures lasted several hours overnight as Cincinnati Fire, Cincinnati Police, and ODOT crews investigated and cleaned up.
No Structural Damage
Despite the size and intensity of the fire, ODOT officials determined there was no structural damage to the overpass or roadway. “There is some barrier wall that people can see that looks like it’s damaged. That will be debatable whether or not that’s going to be repaired, or simply taken out — we don’t necessarily need that,” said ODOT’s Kathleen Fuller. “That’s not a structural item, and again, you can see some damage to a barrier wall but that really has nothing to do with the travel lanes. So no repairs are going to be needed to the structure.”
I-71 and U.S. 50 have since reopened. I-71 took longer to reopen due to previously planned construction work in the area.
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