Najalee Rivera, Elyria: Fatal turnpike rollover investigation points to unbuckled seat belt during tragic highway accident.
State troopers are piecing together the timeline of a deadly single-vehicle crash. The accident shut down a major highway on Friday morning. It left one driver dead and multiple young passengers injured.
The driver has been identified by authorities as 28-year-old Najalee N. Rivera. She was a resident of Lorain, Ohio. Rivera was operating a Toyota RAV4 when the fatal incident occurred.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol received reports of the rollover at 11:54 a.m. Rivera was traveling eastbound on the Ohio Turnpike. The vehicle suddenly lost control near milepost 146.3 in Elyria Township.
Investigators report that the RAV4 went off the right side of the roadway. The SUV struck a guardrail hard before overturning completely. The force of the impact caused fatal injuries to the driver.
Rivera was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency crews. Highway patrol investigators noted a critical safety factor in their initial report. Rivera was not wearing her seat belt when the vehicle flipped.
Three young children inside the vehicle survived the violent crash. The juveniles include an 8-year-old girl, a 7-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old girl. LifeCare ambulances transported all three to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center.
The eastbound lanes of the turnpike were completely blocked off for about three hours. Crews worked fast to clear the debris and handle the scene. The Milan Post of the highway patrol is leading the ongoing investigation with help from local fire, the coroner, and Rich's Towing.
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