BORDERLAND

Driver dies in collision of semis on U.S. 24

10/29/2013

ANTWERP, Ohio — An Ontario, Canada, man died Tuesday after his tractor-trailer rig collided with another semi on U.S. 24 near this Paulding County community, closing the westbound lanes for about 12 hours, the Ohio Highway Patrol said.

Andrew Nowacki, 53, of Kitchener, Ont., 53, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the patrol’s Van Wert post.

Mr. Nowacki was driving west on U.S. 24 near the Indiana line about 12:50 a.m. Tuesday when his vehicle struck another semi, which was parked on the right shoulder of the westbound lanes, partially in the roadway, according to the patrol’s Van Wert post.

The impact ruptured the moving semi’s fuel tank, causing both vehicles to ignite, troopers said.

Czeslaw Szotek, also 53, of Mississauga, Ont., the driver of the parked semi, was outside of the vehicle at the time and suffered only minor injuries, according to the patrol.

Traffic returned to normal about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The crash remained under investigation.