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TOLEDO -- The Ohio Highway Patrol closed northbound I-475 just south of Airport Highway in Toledo due to a multiple vehicle accident with three confirmed deaths, according to state troopers.

According to Lt. John Altman of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the first accident happened just before 5:30 a.m. and involved a Freightliner commercial vehicle pulling a box trailer, driven by Michael Borowy from Warren, Mich., and a Dodge Ram pick-up truck, driven by James South of Monclova, Ohio.

The vehicles collided on nortbound I-475 when the pick-up attempted to merge into the right lane. No one was injured in the first crash.

The second accident occured shortly after, involving a 1997 Toyota Camry driven by Jodi Lubas of Maumee, a motorcycle driven by Dale Barnhiser of Grand Rapids and an international commercial tractor pulling tandem box trailers driven by John Tucker from Flint, Mich.

Pedestrian Diana Dixon of Wooster, Ohio stopped north of the crash scene and was running back along I-475 to assist.

The motorcycle and tractor started a chain reaction crash involving the pick-up and semi from the first crash. Barnhiser was ejected from his motorcycle and landed in the field between Manley Road and the Ohio Turnpike on the east side of I-475. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Lubas and South were struck while in the roadway and pronounced dead at the scene.

Dixon jumped off the I-475 bridge into the field on the east side to avoid being struck and sustained critical injures. She was transported to UTMC Hospital.

The Toledo Post was assisted by Maumee Police Department, Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield and Monclova Township Fire Departments and the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.

The crash remains under investigation.

I-475 northbound was closed until approximately 2:00 PM.