BGSU Students Die--Wrong Way Driver on I-75

I wonder if the older woman who was driving the wrong way had some sort of medical issue. (Some type of dementia or confusion, perhaps?)

It looks like a horrific collision. I don't even know what words to use...just so terrible. I can't even begin to imagine the hearbreak of the families.

Driving has become so common that people forget that cars are horrible weapons and in a flash can cause such destruction. We all need to drive more defensively. Even more so on highways.

Do we need one-way spikes at our exit ramps or what?! This is happening way too often. Are the signs not enough to let people know they are in the wrong? This is yet one other unbearable accident. I can't imagine what these families are going through. So very, very sad.

the spikes would stop emergency vehicles from using those ramps to get to accidents, unless they could be radio controlled to recess when necessary. Sensors along the rail might work if they were programmed to alarm the staties when three were triggered in the wrong direction. This would also server to record the entrance point for accident investigation. the expense is probably out of the question. might as well put a camera everywhere.

You'll never out-stupid stupid people. If you really want to get going on the wrong side of a highway or road, you'll do no matter what's in place.
Whether this woman was under the influence of something or just lost, we may never know, but tire spikes can't guarantee she wouldn't have kept going anyway.

Damn shame. I have to wonder if it was a medical problem, (dementia, etc) or was it not a coincidence that the accident occurred shortly after the bars close.

Possibly a combination of old age, some dementia, bad lighting and poor signage, but this is all just speculation.

Pray for the parents.

Considering the woman lived in Perrysburg, I doubt bad signage or lighting had anything to do with it. I'm guessing medical condition.

Was that the day it was real foggy?

the thing I don't get is, at one point she was reported to be going really slow along the berm. She must have had some inkling something wasn't right, no matter how confused she was. why not just pull over and stop??

I think you would have to be SUPER drunk in order to make it that far.

61 is not that old.

Anyone see the Blade today. It had one of those black and white smartphone barcodes with the caption (paraphrased):

"scan this with your smartphone to hear the 911 call."

I couldn't believe how absurdly grotesque and insensitive this was; completely inappropriate.

that's disgusting

Blade should be ashamed of themselves. A new low.

So will you criticize the TV stations when they broadcast the 911 calls on the news?

Some people will bitch about anything.

The 911 calls have been linked on the Blade's website for days. Typically 911 calls for major incidents are available on most of the major media websites.

Recent example - that early morning semi accident that happened on US-23 with multiple vehicles and semi trucks.

Not making a statement on whether it's appropriate or not - just discussing the fact that the 911 calls are almost always available for listening.

Anyone remember the Rhonda Anaya murder a few years ago? She was stabbed by her husband, and the 911 call was made by their teenage daughter hiding in the closet. That call was available on several local media websites as well, and if I recall correctly was played on some newscasts.

I remember at the time feeling weird about hearing the voice of a frightened teen girl as her father stabbed her mother to death. (Weird probably isn't even the right word for it. Yuck.)

tv and the media have really lowered the bar as to what is acceptable these days. Remember when married couples couldn't be seen sleeping in the same bed because it was too much for tv?
Now, it's 911 calls, crime scene pictures, people vomiting on camera, etc. It's gone too far.
I think that if a tv station or newspaper has to first warn you that what you are about to hear or see is disturbing, then they shouldn't show it anyway. Besides, it's all over the internet if you really want to see it.

Media is feeding the beast. Personally, I think it's sick and change the channel.

This morning the Blade had the girls picture superimposed over the picture of their destroyed car. I thought that was in very poor taste and said so in the comments section.
To my surprise, the picture was gone this afternoon and I received an email advising me of such.

The Blade story says the wrong way driver worked at Jeep. Before all the haters make assumptions I would think possibly she was on her way home from working the 10 hour second shift. The woman was in her sixties...not many at Jeep are working in their sixties. The work is very hard for the majority of workers.

"tv and the media have really lowered the bar as to what is acceptable these days. Remember when married couples couldn't be seen sleeping in the same bed because it was too much for tv?
Now, it's 911 calls, crime scene pictures, people vomiting on camera, etc. It's gone too far."

They're simply providing what so much of their audience seems to want. I work with a number of people who spend large parts of the day discussing all the gory details amongst themselves - along with rehashing every scene from all the moronic network programs of course.

Yet another topic to add to the list of why I don't read the Blah or watch any of the local stations so called news programs on a regular basis.

911 calls are classified public records.

Bob Green, CNN.com: Commentary--The People's Right to Gawk?

A person who calls 911 usually does so at the most emotionally naked and raw moment of his or her life. The person may be terrified; the person may be injured. The person may be in the initial throes of the worst kind of grief. A loved one has been shot; a parent is unconscious; home invaders have broken in.

The person has only one place to turn: the 911 operator. When a person makes that call, he is not voluntarily speaking into a live public microphone; when a person makes that call, she is not thinking that her voice will soon enough be played for the amusement (in the worst sense of that word) of strangers. The person on the phone is begging for help. If ever there were a moment that should qualify as private pain, it's that moment.

But soon enough there is nothing private about it. The tapes are released, because they are legally considered public record: The caller has placed a phone call to a government agency (the police, the town emergency center), and so, under most interpretations of the law, the call is public property.

And somewhere out there -- if the caller to 911 has been fortunate enough to live -- he or she may have the bad luck to be watching and listening too. And realizing -- perhaps numbly, perhaps with a sense of shame -- that, without having granted permission, he or she has become part of the community's, or the nation's, entertainment mix.

I understand why 911 calls are public records, and I would not argue against that.

However, I'm not sure how I feel about the media making the calls so readily available to anyone who wants to gawk.

There are legitimate reasons for the calls to be public record (such as being used as evidence in court), but that doesn't mean that everything needs to be easily exposed either.

And, in the interest of full disclosure, yes...I am guilty of clicking on audio links from time to time. I probably should stop doing that - perhaps if more ordinary citizens refused to listen, the media would back off.

On-air, the calls are sensational & dramatic--attracts viewership (voyeurs?) which can be sold to advertisers.

Website, the calls drive page hits which can be sold to advertisers.

Morally, it is certainly questionable. Business-wise, it is a gold mine for media that pumps audience views that they can get for free because it is public record.

"The Blade story says the wrong way driver worked at Jeep. Before all the haters make assumptions I would think possibly she was on her way home from working the 10 hour second shift. The woman was in her sixties...not many at Jeep are working in their sixties. The work is very hard for the majority of workers."

There's a Jeep plant in Perrysburg?

toledolen_, yes there is. It's on Oregon Road, south of 795. This woman lived in apartments just north of there so I'm assuming that's probably where she worked.

Then it doesn't seems she was on her way home.

Channel 24 has reported that it is believed she was on her way home from Jeep's North Assembly Complex.

http://www.northwestohio.com/news/story.aspx?id=726333

I heard that too. If so, she must have really been confused to be almost to BG.

There are some things that are not adding up here, anybody have any information on these items?

-Doesn't second shift at Jeep end at 3am?
-Absent a stop somewhere in between, if she was heading home from work she would have been going the wrong way all the way from the North Assembly Complex; this seems unlikely as there were multiple reports as she drove through Perrysburg

Maybe she was going to work instead of from it, and that she got on the wrong way at the 795 interchange. The north onramp there is right next to the north offramp and she was spotted at route 20, which is just 2 miles down the road.

That makes more sense but, I've heard she worked for Jeep but not at the plant; if that makes any sense.

Hard to imagine a 69 year old working at a plant.

If she got on at 795 she would have crossed Rt. 20 with the chance to exit.

She worked in a contract capacity position, but not a Chrysler employee per the Blade article.

Irregardless of where she worked I would not speculate why she was driving on the wrong side of the road yet. We'll know soon enough. Seven miles on the wrong side of the road and passing multiple vehicles during that time period indicates something was seriously wrong with the driver - not just a simple incorrect decision on entering the wrong way. Time will tell and trust me... lawyers hoping to represent the deceased are waiting as well.

She was a Perrysburg Twp resident who evidently on the the wrong entrance/exit ramp, going against traffic...in Perrysburg.

She had to be familiar with the area. She lived there.

While a sudden medical condition is certainly possible to explain these actions, so is dementia and other factors typically associated with 'old-age', although yes, I understand 69 is usually not considered 'old'.

Drivers of typical retirement age (65+) should be tested annually for competency behind the wheel, not just eye exams and the like. I'm talking a real driving examination, like when teens first get their permits.

I'm 58. I'd no have problem getting tested annually starting in seven years.

I'm talking a real driving examination, like when teens first get their permits.

Given the number of accidents I would be inclined to raise the bar a few inches for that "real" driving examination.

I'm 58.

I've heard you look 75... I guess it's not the age, it's the mileage. ;)

I'd no have problem getting tested annually starting in seven years.

You might think so now, but wait 10 years. An elderly man from my church went down to Flower hospital to try out the driving simulator. Officialdom was encouraging everyone over 40 to try it and see if they were competent to drive. Anyway, my friend had a few doubts about his ability so he got himself tested. He passed, was congratulated, then when home and hung up his keys. The way he explained it to me was that "A man gets to a certain point in his life, and you figure maybe you can and maybe you can't, but why take the chance?"

So that was that. He still kept the car and the keys, figuring that if there was some sort of emergency he could drive he and his wife to safety. But there never was. His children and friends took turns driving them around. I was able to step up to the plate once in a while.

I kept my semi-youthful good looks until I hit 50, then it all went to hell very quickly.

I'm fine with folks driving until they're 100 years old, just so they pass a genuine examination every year.

I know what you mean. A few years ago I got a speeding ticket while I was high-balling it through Georgia. When I looked at my ticket I noticed that the cop had written 'grey' under color of hair.

Grey? Just when did that happen?

They just posted a video of it online. Seeing that car pass the way it did and hearing the backround of the crash makes me sick to my stomach. Is it right for the families that this video was posted? What good will come out of publishing this?

Yeah, I just watched it, and I wish I hadn't. I realize everyone has to make up their own mind on what is acceptable, but this is over the line for me.

Maybe they should just show the clip of the wrong-way car, but to show the aftermath of the crash is too much.

What the FUCK was the purpose of posting this video? I hope whoever made the ultimate decision to post the video rots in hell.

i'm puzzled why the blade put a copyright on that video when it's public record. that in itself is disgusting. why stake a claim on that tragedy?!!!!

but i also agree, there is NO reason to be posting that online. it doesn't help public discourse at all. it's just tragic footage of a tragic situation. totally fucked up

I saw the posting but will not watch the video. My guess is the reason for posting is simple - interest. Hits and traffic on your web page etc. Ethical, moral? Depends on the individual - as I said - I will not click on it nor watch.

I'm not comfortable with that stuff but Zapruder's video of Kennedy's head exploding (sorry for the graphic description) made Life Magazine almost 50 years ago. What draws our eyes doesn't always coincide with conscience.

Video record of the assassination of a United States president is one thing. Every American should have an interest in viewing a watershed moment in world history, no matter how disturbing.

Video record of a tragic automobile crash that claimed the lives of four individuals, including three young people, and critically injured others is a different kettle of fish.

I decided to go watch the video. Typical dashcam stuff, nothing disturbing or extreme.I do not want to seem callous because it is a tragic event. I do not understand the copyright at the end, ???

I was examining the online version of the Toledo bird cage liner and found this story: Woman, 37, arrested after driving wrong way on expressway

Is it something in the water? WTF?

Lydia M. Jablonski, whose address was not available, was driving a 2000 Ford Taurus and had caused two crashes before being stopped by a trooper. One crash involved a parked car at the establishment she was coming from and the other was a “side swipe” when she was in the wrong lanes on I-475. There were no injuries from either crash, troopers said.

Hmmn...wonder what kind of "establishment" she was coming from...

According to wtol she was arrested for OVI... so I'm guessing THAT's what kind of "establishment".

This area has less a problem with getting onto the highway the wrong way and more a problem with drinking and driving.

I think we're a typical blue-collar town from the drinking and driving aspect, but why so many of the wrong-way problems? might do a search later to see what other towns have this problem. could our signage be inadequate or is it just that some people are more prone to this kind of stupidity and we have more than our fair share? :)

I agree, why so many wrong way drivers????

According to WTOL this woman left Tres Belle.

This from their Yelp site:

Specialties
Tres Belle Lounge is a wine and martini lounge.
We offer a unique lounge with a very comfortable atmosphere! We host special events such as wine/martini tasting and scotch and cigar events. Book your private party with us! Enjoy our FREE shuttle service as well

People are telling me the bar tried to get her not to drive, but she refused. They then alerted police to a driver they feared was impaired.

They should have tackled her ass!

Not hard to believe considering that she side-swiped a car in the parking lot. Yikes!

(BTW - I accidentally "liked" the post when I went to quote on it. I guess I do like the fact that the bar attempted to handle the situation responsibly, but it wasn't specifically my intent to like the comment. LOL)

Should of just told her that if she left out that door with her car keys that the cops would be called before she had her car out of the parking spot.

If the bar over served her they did not handle the situation responsibly. The owner (or a rogue employee) was abusing his privileges afforded by his liquor license.

Didn't think the video was over the top. Sad, but not gruesome. Maybe it will scare people whose parents or spouses have dementia into taking their keys away. People wait far too long to do that!

The blade said she was speeding, yet on 13 news they interviewed a trooper who was talking about time she left work and said they were figuring her traveling at the speed limit as part of figuring out where she got onto the highway.
So which is it? I would have think they could tell from the accident investigation how fast she was going.

Another wrong-way driver.

Mar 12, 2012 story

http://www.my13abc.com/wap/news/text.jsp?sid=1005&nid=95996271&from=home

wtf???? this is nuts!

My husband worked until 1 am last night & had to take the freeways home. For some reason, I had a hard time falling asleep last night worrying that something was going to happen with all the idiots that have been on the road lately.

He was home before this accident happened, thankfully. But I feel awful for the innocent truck driver in this accident. Hopefully the people involved recover ok.

What is the penalty for driving the wrong way on the freeway.

Well if you live through it, that Gannon <sp> guy was drunk and got a hefty prison term, that woman the other day has yet to be sentenced not sure but report made it sound as if she was drunk, so probably pretty bad. I would imagine at the least reckless driving charges.

I've found lately that when I'm going from Point A to Point B around here, I opt to take surface roads instead of just hopping on the E-way.

The number of these wrong-way driver incidents is freakish.

Every car they pass going the wrong way is someone they could have killed through their reckless disregard of human life.

It should go beyond one count of reckless driving.

The laws need to be changed so that they face serious jail time even if they don't cause an accident.

As I said, at least, I'm sure they could add reckless endangerment, any children in those vehicles, then child endangerment, probably drunk driving, too bad there isn't a law against sheer stupidity, then again most of us could be charged for that at times.

WTOL just reported that 2 males in the red car died.

So...the wrong way driver had a passenger? And neither of them noticed that they were going the wrong way on the e-way?

There wasn't really an update on the woman driving the Penske truck yet - just that she's in the hospital.

The passenger of the wrong-way car was charged in 2005 with a DUI and aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon.

http://www.mugshotsonline.com/michigan/monroe/khary-j-phenix/26215311

Usually DUI, vehicular homicide, and death.

/Captain Obvious to the rescue!

http://tinyurl.com/7ya4h83

Khary Phenix opened the back door of the Crab House to let Jamie Madrigal and Chris Cathcart in to rob the place and kill Larry Loose.

Oh wow...I just discovered that I know someone who was there that night. Talk to her several times a week.

Guess I can't blame her for not ever mentioning it - if I'd been through something like that, I'd want to put it in the back of my mind too.

I was present at an armed robbery back in the early 1980s. I still think of it and get sick to my stomach every time I drive past the place. Which, thankfully, isn't often.

According the the blade, odot is making changes to stop wrong way drivers. I have never heard of so many wrong way drivers in all my life. Now, we have to try and make the off ramps more idiot proof. Good luck.

Last night I drove down the bancroft overpass near yesterday's accident and saw 30+ kids looking over the bridge, with balloons in hand. there was a small memorial (teddy bear etc) hung from the chain-link... regardless of who was involved in the accident, it was a tragic moment to witness.

Channel 13 quoted the fiancee's family as stating the driver was drinking before he left home and that she tried to stop him but could not. It was actually pretty refreshing to see a family member admit the deceased was not a paragon of virtue. Just glad no one else was killed. These guys made bad choices, just like the lady from the second accident. Everyone always thinks it won't happen to them, then it does.

What a small world and obvious some people never..............forget it, not going there

Drunk is drunk. If you are drunk enough to drive the wrong way down a highway, no amount of signage is going to fix you.

I was driving up 75 North tonight and recalled the sorority girls who were killed by the wrong way driver. I recalled that it would be 3-4 weeks for toxicology results to be finalized on the woman who caused the accident. I've not heard any updates on the story since. Anyone hear any news?

http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2012/04/13/Woman-charged-after-spotted-driving-wrong-way.html

another one!

And another...

http://www.wtol.com/story/17532086/police-chase-caught-on-tape-ends-in-arrest

What is the dealio? Are there really a lot more wrong-way drivers now, or has the proliferation of news sources/outlets just brought more of them to our attention lately?

no, I'm pretty sure if this had ever happened before, we would have heard about it, even if we had only one outlet in town. It's just too weird.