SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio. — A sheriff's office in Ohio shared a heart-stopping video on Thursday that captured the moment a dump truck crashed into a Department of Transportation vehicle which led to a huge explosion.
Authorities said it happened shortly before 7:30 a.m. and left both drivers with life-threatening injuries. The sheriff's office said it's investigating.
The video shows the dump truck drift from the right lane and crash directly into the DOT vehicle. Both vehicles erupted in flames and were pushed off the road into a line of trees.
In Ohio, the law requires drivers to move over for any stationary vehicle with flashing lights on the side of the road. That applies to all vehicles with flashing lights of any color, including law enforcement, emergency responders, road construction, maintenance vehicles, utility crews and tow trucks.
Florida law also requires drivers to move over a lane, when it's safe to, for stopped vehicles with displayed warning lights. That includes law enforcement, emergency, sanitation, and utility service vehicles, tow trucks or wreckers, and maintenance or construction vehicles. When it's not possible to move over, drivers are to slow down to 20 miles per hour below the posted speed limit.
Last week, officers in Clearwater said too many drivers aren't following the law and there's been a spike in reckless driving that's putting lives at risk.
“I can tell you, it’s very scary," Sgt. Dan Negersmith said. "There’s many times I’ve been on the side of the road where I can feel the brush of a vehicle as it goes by at 60, 70 miles an hour."
