As far as stupid and avoidable car accidents go, you might not see one that fits both categories more than this crash which took place in Ohio Wednesday.
Surveillance cameras near exit 109A on I-71 in Ohio captured a shocking and infuriating wreck caused by the incompetence of one driver. In the clip below, which is going viral, you can see it all unfold.
For the first 15 minutes, all is normal. At this point, you can see a red minivan suddenly come to a stop in the middle lane, apparently having missed its exit.
Incredibly, instead of continuing to drive, or even changing lanes and trying to quickly cut across to get to the exit–dangerous in its own right, but a better alternative to what this driver actually did–the person behind the wheel just stayed put, causing a brief three-car backup.
Matt Brunig/X
You can probably surmise what happened next. While the two cars that stopped behind the red minivan were able to avoid a collision, someone behind them was not.
A driver in a silver van rear-ended the last of the three cars, a white van, sending the vehicle careening into the car stopped in front of it.
The most galling fact of this entire sequence? The fool in the red car who caused this entire accident eventually winds up driving away, taking the correct exit ramp as her or she wanted to in the first place.
“When you are driving along a major interstate and you miss your exit do you: A) keep driving and get off at the next one or B) come to a complete stop, cause a multi-car rear-end crash and then drive away HINT: The answer is NEVER B. Do not be this driver,” said the Ohio State Department of Transportation on X/Twitter alongside the clip.
When you are driving along a major interstate and you miss your exit do you:
A) keep driving and get off at the next one
or
B) come to a complete stop, cause a multi-car rear-end crash and then drive awayHINT: The answer is NEVER B. Do not be this driver. pic.twitter.com/PYh85B6ICR
— Ohio Dept of Transportation (@ODOT_Statewide) May 1, 2025
We’re hoping that no one suffered any major injuries in this collision. Things definitely could have been much worse.
Also, hopefully the authorities were able to track down the driver of the red minivan and issue some sort of punishment.