CHARDON, Ohio (AP) — The van in a crash with a tractor-trailer that killed five of its passengers had been leased to an organization that serves adults with developmental disabilities, and it was the vehicle that crossed the center line of an Ohio highway and hit the truck, officials said Tuesday.
Troopers are still investigating why the van went left of center Monday in Geauga County’s Newbury Township and hit a commercial tractor attached to a flatbed trailer, according to a statement from the state patrol.
The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities said it owned the van and leased it to a nonprofit organization serving adults with developmental disabilities. That group, SAW Inc., told reporters it is cooperating with investigators.
Five adults in the van were killed, including the 62-year-old driver. The four passengers who were killed ranged in age from 28 to 57; three were from Cleveland and one was from University Heights, authorities said. It was not clear Tuesday whether the four were clients of SAW Inc.
Two passengers in their 40s who were taken to a hospital with serious injuries were stable Tuesday, according to the patrol. The truck driver, a 31-year-old Geneva resident, also went to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.
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