The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a serious injury crash that occurred early Wednesday morning on eastbound U.S. Route 33 near State Route 161 in Union County.
At approximately 12:38 a.m., authorities received a report of a collision involving an SUV and an asphalt roller in a construction zone.
The driver of the SUV, 52-year-old Martha Noel of Marion, was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital in critical condition.
The operator of the asphalt roller, 50-year-old Jason McKee of Bellefontaine, was uninjured.
A dog riding in Noel’s vehicle was also unharmed and was briefly taken to the Union County Humane Society by the Union County Sheriff’s Office before being released back to its owner.
Preliminary investigation shows that Noel was traveling east on U.S. Route 33 when she struck a traffic cone, then collided with a tandem asphalt roller.
Noel was driving a silver 2012 Lexus GX, and the roller was an orange 2024 Hamm & Phillips Service Company tandem roller.
She was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash, and alcohol is not believed to be a factor.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Union County Sheriff’s Office, Jerome Township Fire & EMS, and Kevin’s Towing.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
