St. Clairsville, OH (June 9, 2026) – Three people were injured early Monday mornin, June 8,g after a wrong-way driver triggered a five-vehicle collision on Interstate 70 near mile marker 202 in Belmont County. The accident happened at approximately 3:47 a.m.
A 2018 Honda Civic was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes when it struck a 2018 Jeep Wrangler head-on, and after the initial impact, the Honda Civic veered off the left side of the road into an embankment. A 2023 Mercedes GLS, a 2023 International LT62F, and a 2019 Nissan Kicks, all traveling eastbound, subsequently hit debris from the wreck.
The driver of the Jeep Wrangler was taken to WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital with serious injuries, the passenger in the Wrangler was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries, and the driver of the Nissan Kicks was likewise taken to Wheeling Hospital with minor injuries.
No identities were released in the initial report on the crash. The driver of the Honda Civic was not mentioned as among those hurt, and no further details about that person were provided.
Investigators are continuing to piece together the full sequence of events, and additional information is expected to follow. We are keeping all three people hurt in our thoughts as they receive care.
What Drivers Should Know About Wrong-Way Crashes on Ohio Interstates
Wrong-way crashes on divided highways are among the deadliest types of collisions on record. Because they typically involve two vehicles moving toward each other at highway speed, the combined force of a head-on impact is far greater than in most other crash types. Even when a wrong-way driver is traveling slowly, the closing speed with oncoming traffic can be extremely high.
These crashes happen most often in the early morning hours, when fatigue and impairment are more likely to affect driver judgment. Entering a highway through an exit ramp is the most common way a wrong-way trip begins, and signage improvements at exit points have been a focus of highway safety efforts in several states in recent years.
Multi-vehicle pileups that follow a primary wrong-way collision, like the one on I-70, often involve debris scattered across travel lanes. Drivers approaching an active crash zone at highway speed have very little time to react, which is why secondary collisions in these cases are common and can result in additional injuries.
