2 injured in wrong-way crash on I-75

2-vehicle incident tied up southbound traffic near Rossford

2/6/2014
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    An airbag is sits deflated inside a car at the scene of a wrong-way crash on I-75 southbound near Buck Road today.

    The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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  • An airbag is sits deflated inside a car at the scene of a wrong-way crash on I-75 southbound near Buck Road today.
    An airbag is sits deflated inside a car at the scene of a wrong-way crash on I-75 southbound near Buck Road today.

    Two people were injured, one seriously, in a wrong-way two-car crash on southbound I-75 in Rossford today, the Ohio Highway Patrol said.

    Sophie Pecuszok, 83, of Walbridge, the wrong-way driver, was taken to ProMedica Bay Park Hospital with serious injuries, according to the patrol's Bowling Green post. Pecuszok was trapped in the car for an "extended period of time," troopers said. A hospital spokesman said she had no information about a person by that name.

    Kristopher Widdersheim, 28, of Toledo, the other driver, was treated at the scene for minor injuries, the patrol said.

    Pecuszok was driving north in the southbound lanes of the expressway at milemarker 198 about 10:10 a.m. when her vehicle crashed head-on with the Widdersheim car, closing two lanes of traffic for about 40 minutes, according to the patrol.

    The southbound lanes of I-75 are backed up near Buck Road as the northbound side remains clear.
    The southbound lanes of I-75 are backed up near Buck Road as the northbound side remains clear.

    Mr. Widdersheim was wearing a seat belt, troopers said. It is unknown whether Pecuszok was wearing a seat belt, according to the patrol.

    Alcohol or drug use did not contribute to the crash, the patrol said. It is unknown where Pecuszok entered the interstate.

    Traffic on I-75 returned to normal about 11:50 a.m., a dispatcher said.

    The crash remains under investigation.