Woman and child dead after I-75 crash in Auglaize County

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A woman and an 11-year-old child are dead after a vehicle vs. tractor-trailer crash early Sunday morning in Auglaize County. According to the Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash happened at approximately 4:10 a.m. on I-75 north, near milemarker 108, in Pusheta Twp. The initial investigation found a 2011 Ford Explorer, driven by 48-year-old Holly Williams from Howell, MI, was heading northbound on Interstate 75. It went left off the road, hit the median cables, re-entered the road and became disabled in the right lane.  Officials said a 54-year-old man from Limestone, TN, and an 11-year-old child from Howell, MI, were passengers in the Explorer. The man reportedly exited the vehicle and attempted to push it off the road and out of the way of traffic. A 2018 Freightliner was heading north in the right lane when it hit the Explorer from behind. This pushed it off the right side of the road and into the man.  Wapakoneta EMS took the man to Lima Memorial Hospital for minor injuries. Williams and the child were both pronounced dead on the scene. Both were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash. They were taken to Schlosser Funeral Home in Wapakoneta. The driver of the Freightliner was wearing his seatbelt and was uninjured. Officials said alcohol / drugs are not suspected factors in this crash. “The Wapakoneta Post was assisted on scene by the Auglaize County Sheriff's Office, Wapakoneta EMS and Fire, the Auglaize County Coroner's Office, Auglaize County CERT, Miller's Auto and Towing and Mayse's Towing,” wrote the post. The crash is under active investigation by the post. 2 NEWS will update this article when we learn more.