Ohio Turnpike 46 car pile-up kills Michigan teen, pregnant mom of two (2024)

A Michigan teen and a pregnant mother of two have both been identified as the victims in the massive 46-car pile-up on the Ohio Turnpikethat claimed four lives.

Also in Ohio, a 22-year-old linesman was killed while attempting to repair a power line in Lawrence County on December 23.

Emma Smith, 19, and Julie Roth, 37, were named over the weekend as the pile-up victims while Blake Rogers, 22, was named as the linesman last week.

The devastating winter storm continues to sweep across the U.S. and has claimed 57 lives in total as of Monday evening, with many of those deaths coming from the eastern states.

In New York's Erie County where Buffalo is located, 27 people have been killed throughout the storm from winter-related incidents.

The pileup occurred along the eastbound side of the Ohio Turnpike just after 12.30 on December 23, in Groton Township.

Sgt. Ryan Purpura of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said local law enforcement agencies spent hours investigating the fatal crash.

Smith was identified on Sunday after the December 23 crash.

On Monday, family and friends described the Michigan teen, a community college student, as as a 'gentle soul' who 'was always there for people.'

In a post Monday, Emma's father shared the news of her death, asking for friends to share their stories of Emma during their time of grieving.

'It is hard for me to find the words to say that our sweet daughter, Emma Smith left this world on Friday December 23,' Matthew G. Smith said.

'Details of her end-of-life service will be provided here soon. If anyone would like to share a Emma story that would be wonderful for my family,' the dad wrote.

'I know she was the light of your life. There is not much that anyone can say to ease the pain of this loss but please know you are in my thoughts. Holding you and your family in my heart during your time of grief,' wrote one commenter.

Roth, a pregnant, was also killed in the pile-up and was in the car with her two children at the time of the incident.

Julie and her unborn child both died but her children survived, according to a GoFundMe created by her sister-in-law, Chris Roth.

'I am writing to ask for support for our family after a devastating loss,' Chris wrote.

'Thankfully, her two children survived but are suffering injuries from the accident,' the family member said.

The GoFundMe has raised $52,000 of its $100,000 goal as of Monday evening, just one day after it was created.

Bernard M. Bloniarz, 59, was also identified over the weekend.

The fourth person killed in the crash has yet to be publicly identified as officials continue to work to notify their next of kin.

'Weather is considered to be a factor in the crash. The crash remains under investigation at this time,' Sgt. Purpura said after the crash.

'I've never seen anything like it,' saidone 30-year veteran of the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department. 'One of the worst incidents I've ever responded to.'

In another part of Ohio, a linesman performing repairs on an electrical line was killed in an 'electrical contact incident' on Friday.

Rodgers was working to restore power in the winter storm in Lawrence County when he was killed just after 10,15am.

'Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative is devastated by this loss and asks for the support and privacy of the lineworker's family and team as they cope with this tragedy,' officials with the Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative said in a post.

The company was unable to provide further details on the incident.

'The safety of our field workers is always our number one priority, especially when working in such hazardous conditions,' the company said in their Facebook post.

Rogers' family members remembered him over the weekend in commemorative posts on social media.

'I loved everything about Christmas until now,' said his mother, Brandie Hale.

'Now it will be something that I forever dread because it will be a constant reminder of the days of losing you,' the mother said on Facebook.

Hale called her son her 'greatest gift' and urged her friends and family members to 'hug your kids a little tighter.'

Across the United States, nearly 60 have been killed as a result of the winter storm.

Deaths have been recorded in a dozen states.

Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin have all reported at least one death during the storm.

The incident has been described as a 'once in a lifetime' weather incident.

One of, if not the hardest hit area, is Erie County, New York.

On Monday evening, Mark Poloncarz, Erie County executive, provided a heartbreaking updating regarding the county.

Of the 27 killed in Erie County, 14 were found outside, three were found in a vehicle, four found without heat, three from an EMS delay, and three died from shoveling and snow blowing incidents.

The county is expected to continue to see snow well into Tuesday.

'We can see sort of the light at the end of the tunnel, but this is not the end yet,' Poloncarz said. 'We are not there.'

As of Monday morning, Buffalo's airport had seen more than 49 inches of snow during the historic winter storm.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service of Buffalo reported the area had already been hit with 92.7 inches of snow during the 2022 season so far.

For comparison, Buffalo typically sees 95.4 inches for the whole season, which ends on June 30.

'A very snowy start to the season, with lake effect events focusing upon the #Buffalo airport and vicinity,' NWS Buffalo tweeted Sunday evening. 'The 92.7" of snow is not only the most snow to start the winter season through #Christmas, but also just 2.7" behind the typical entire seasonal snowfall.'