The number of people killed in vehicle crashes in Ohio during the Independence Day weekend nearly doubled from last year, according to data from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Eighteen people were killed in as many vehicle crashes during the Independence Day weekend, which ran from midnight on July 2 through July 5 at 11:59 p.m., according to a July 6 media release from the Highway Patrol. One of those fatalities involved a Gahanna man killed in a crash involving a semi-truck in Madison County.
According to the patrol, in eight of the fatal crashes where safety belts were available, three involved people were not using them. Of the five fatal motorcycle crashes, three of the riders were not wearing a helmet, the patrol said.
During the holiday weekend, troopers investigated 575 crashes, issued 1,722 distracted-driving citations, cited 2,195 drivers for safety belt violations, and arrested 387 motorists for impaired driving, according to the media release.
The 18 reported fatalities is an increase from 2025, and the same number of fatalities reported in 2024.
In 2025, 10 people were killed during the Independence Day holiday period, which ran from July 3 to July 6. During that reporting period, six of the seven crashes involved vehicles with seat belts available that were not used.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 18 killed in vehicle crashes in Ohio during Independence Day weekend
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
