A Moraine woman was killed Thursday morning when the company car she was driving was crushed between two semi trucks on westbound Interstate 70.
Brenda Longstreth, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene, which closed down the highway at Hoke Road for about 90 minutes.
Longstreth worked as a job coach and interpreter for Capabilities, Ind., a disability support network, according to the company's web site.
Longstreth assisted in individuals with disabilities and specialized in working with individuals with hearing loss, according to a statement released by Capabalities, Inc. today.
The statement went on to say that "Brenda made a positive difference in many individual's lives, and will be greatly missed."
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is handling the investigation. Troopers said they believe Longstreth was driving behind a tanker truck in the far right lane with a tractor trailer driven by Midwest Carriers employee Yusuf Hussein Yusuf, 31, of Minnesota behind her.
OSHP Sgt. Jeff Kramer said the tanker driver and Longstreth both began to slow down because of a lane closure ahead, but the semi did not slow down and struck the Chevy Impala from behind.
"(The rear semi) did not stop in time or did not see what was occurring in front of him," Kramer said.
After being rear-ended, Longstreth's vehicle struck the back of the tanker truck. The Impala and the rear semi then traveled through the snow-covered grass between the highway and the exit ramp, crossed the Hoke Road ramp, and struck a guardrail.
Both trucks were damaged but neither driver was injured. A passenger in the tanker truck who was in training was also not hurt. The damage to the Impala was extensive.
"It took the first responders quite a bit of time to make sure and verify there was only one victim inside that vehicle due to the massive destruction of that vehicle," Kramer said.
He said investigators will be reviewing footage from an Ohio Department of Transportation camera that captured the crash as well as a rear-mounted camera on the tanker truck to aid in their reconstruction. Kramer said the driver of the rear truck could face criminal charges and will likely be cited at a minimum for failure to maintain an assured clear distance.
"We actually had a lane closure just west of here at the Ohio 49 north ramp. They were actively taking down the zone. We had an officer in a marked car with that zone, and that did slow down traffic," Kramer said. "They had it marked with signs and arrow boards, and all that stuff was in place… People just really need to pay attention."