Overview
- The semi-truck, which crashed under the I-71 overpass near Heritage Bank Center Sunday evening around 6:51 p.m., caught fire and the trapped driver later died.
- Firefighters reached the scene in about six minutes, bystanders tried to pull the driver out, and crews knocked down flames that sent thick black smoke across the city.
- Closures swept across Fort Washington Way and nearby connectors while crews contained the blaze and began clearing a significant diesel spill from the roadway.
- After inspections early Monday, ODOT reported no structural damage to the overpass, reopened I-71 and U.S. 50, and noted that visible charring on a barrier wall is nonstructural.
- Cincinnati police are investigating the cause, the driver's identity has not been released, and environmental cleanup of spilled diesel could influence lane conditions and future repairs.