Columbus, OH — February 13, 2026, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 2 a.m. on northbound Interstate 71.

Authorities said a Chrysler Town & Country minivan was heading the wrong direction on the interstate near East Broad Street when it crashed into a Ford F-150 and a semi-truck. A Ram 1500 pickup was rear-ended by another semi-truck when it slowed down to avoid the crash.

The driver of the Chrysler minivan ran away from the scene after the crash, according to authorities.

The driver of the Ram, whose name has not been made public yet, died after being transported to a nearby hospital, authorities said.

No other injuries were reported.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Franklin County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people read about a crash like this, the first questions that come to mind are simple: How does something like this happen on a major interstate? Who is actually responsible? And are we getting the full story?

But beyond those broad outlines of what happened, there’s a lot we don’t yet know.

For example, it’s not clear how long the minivan had been traveling the wrong direction. Did it just enter the highway incorrectly near East Broad Street, or had it been going the wrong way for miles? That matters, because it affects who had time to react and how avoidable this crash may have been.

It’s also not clear how the first semi-truck became involved. Was it maintaining a safe speed for nighttime driving? Did the driver see headlights coming toward him and attempt evasive action? The truck’s engine control module (ECM), its “black box,” would show speed, braking and throttle input in the seconds before impact. That data often answers questions that eyewitnesses can’t.

The second collision raises another set of issues. A Ram 1500 slowed to avoid the crash ahead and was rear-ended by a semi-truck. That leads to a straightforward but critical question: Was that second semi following at a safe distance for 2 a.m. interstate conditions? Commercial drivers are trained to anticipate hazards ahead, especially at night. Depending on traffic flow and visibility, a rear-end collision like that can point to delayed reaction time, distraction or unsafe following distance.

We also don’t yet know whether either truck had in-cab cameras. Many fleets now use forward-facing and driver-facing cameras. If they were in place here, they could show exactly when the wrong-way vehicle became visible and how each driver responded. Cell phone records could also determine whether distraction played any role.

And then there’s the issue of the minivan driver leaving the scene. It’s not clear whether impairment is suspected, whether that driver has been located or what led to the wrong-way entry in the first place. Those are unanswered questions that investigators will need to resolve before anyone can fully understand how this chain of events unfolded.

In multi-vehicle crashes like this, it’s easy to assume the wrong-way driver bears all responsibility. That may ultimately be true. But from a legal standpoint, each collision must be examined separately. The first impact and the rear-end crash are distinct events, and each driver — especially commercial drivers operating 80,000-pound vehicles — has independent duties under the law.

In my experience, the only way to sort this out is through evidence. Black box downloads. Dash cam footage. Driver logs. Cell phone data. Toxicology results. Without that, we’re left with assumptions. And assumptions don’t lead to accountability; evidence does.

When authorities say a crash is “under investigation,” that should mean more than just writing up a report. It should mean preserving and analyzing every piece of data available. Only then can we determine not just what happened, but why.

Key Takeaways

• It’s not yet clear how long the wrong-way vehicle was on the interstate or how the initial collision unfolded.
• Black box data, dash cams and cell phone records will be critical to understanding each driver’s actions.
• The rear-end crash involving the second semi must be evaluated independently for following distance and reaction time.
• In multi-vehicle truck crashes, responsibility often depends on evidence from each separate impact, not assumptions.