ARCHBOLD WEATHER

Wauseon Man Killed In Turnpike Crash


Richard Reuther III, 35, Wauseon, died Friday morning, Aug. 28, as the result of a crash on the Ohio Turnpike.

A press release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol states the fatal crash was related to a crash that occurred minutes earlier.

At 9:34 am, a dump truck driven by David A. LaPlante, 56, Holland, owned by Dave LaPlante Trucking, went off the left side of the road and struck a guardrail close to the 57.3-mile marker, about five miles east of the Toledo Express Airport-Swanton interchange.

The truck came back onto the roadway, went off the right side of the road, then came back on the road and rolled over, spilling its load of gravel.

LaPlante suffered suspected minor injuries and was taken to Toledo Hospital.

The crash blocked both lanes of the turnpike, with westbound traffic coming to a stop.

As traffic ground to a halt, a semi owned by the United Parcel Service and driven by Kenneth Gross, 61, West Chicago, Ill., stopped in the left lane at about the 57.9- mile marker.

About eight minutes later, at 9:42 am, Reuther’s car struck the semi from behind. Reuther went off the right side of the road, coming to rest in the ditch.

“Reuther sustained fatal injuries,” the press release said.

Westbound lanes of the turnpike were closed for about three hours. Assisting were the Springfield Township Fire Department and the Ohio Turnpike Maintenance Department.

The crash remains under investigation.