1 dead and 1 injured in wrong-way driver accident in Middletown

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — One person is dead and another injured after a wrong-way driving crash on Interstate 75 in Middletown Saturday afternoon, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.

At approximately 3:15 p.m., OSHP responded to reports of a two-vehicle crash on I-75 near mile marker 33 in Middletown.

When police arrived, they found the driver of one of the vehicles dead at the scene, OSHP said.

OSHP has identified the person killed as Geiner Hildalgo, 46, of Dayton.

The second driver was taken to Atrium Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, OSHP said.

Investigators found that Hidalgo was traveling north on I-75 in a 2016 Nissan SUV when he collided head-on with the driver of a 2011 Ford pickup truck traveling south in the northbound lane.

Both vehicles left the left side of the road and came to a stop on the shoulder at the concrete safety barrier, the OSHP said.

The northbound lanes of I-75 were briefly closed to investigate the accident.

OSHP has not yet announced whether speed or impairment played a role in this accident or if charges will be filed.

The crash remains under investigation by OSHP’s Lebanon office.