A wrong-way driver caused a deadly four-vehicle crash in Downtown Columbus early Friday morning, killing one person and shutting down Interstate 71 North for seven hours. The crash occurred just after 2 a.m. near the East Broad Street exit when a black Chrysler Town & Country traveling southbound in northbound lanes struck multiple vehicles.

The initial collision involved a Ford F-150 and a semitruck before a Ram 1500 slowed to avoid the wreckage but was rear-ended by another semitruck. The Ram driver was hospitalized in critical condition and later pronounced dead. Columbus Fire Chief Jeffrey Geitter confirmed one person was hospitalized, while police later reported one fatality. The driver of the Chrysler fled the scene.

All northbound lanes remained closed until 9 a.m. as emergency crews extinguished a vehicle fire. The Ohio Department of Transportation traffic cameras captured the incident, showing the initial wrong-way collision and subsequent fire. Police are investigating and seeking information about the fleeing driver.