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Traffic Camera Shows Passenger Leap to Avoid Crash on I-670 SmartLane

Ohio DOT released the video to warn drivers that closed SmartLanes serve as emergency breakdown shoulders and must not be used as travel lanes.

Overview

  • Traffic-camera footage released by the Ohio Department of Transportation captures a disabled SUV stopped in the I-670 SmartLane and a vehicle using that closed lane striking the SUV while a passenger jumped onto the median wall to avoid being hit.
  • ODOT press secretary Matt Bruning posted the video on social media and described the passenger's escape as one of the closest calls he had seen.
  • Bruning said the SmartLane was closed at the time and stressed that the lane is first and foremost an emergency breakdown shoulder that is only opened when traffic conditions warrant it and after it has been swept and cleared.
  • The coverage does not report any confirmed injuries, citations, or formal investigations following the crash as of the latest public updates.
  • SmartLanes are controlled lanes that expand capacity only when safe to do so and rely on clear signage and monitoring, so misuse of a closed lane creates a sudden hazard that departments of transportation can illustrate with camera footage to bolster safety messages.