COLUMBUS, Ohio — A man was killed and a Dublin police officer was injured in a wrong-way crash involving two vehicles near downtown Columbus early Friday morning, police told 10TV.
At approximately 1:40 a.m., the officer was driving west on Interstate 70 near the off ramp to Central Avenue. The spokesperson identified the officer as Larry Gatton.
Gatton was returning from the Franklin County Correction Center while on duty, according to the spokesperson.
At the same time, police said Francisco Santillan-Trujillo was driving a Honda Civic east in the westbound lanes and struck the front of Gatton's cruiser.
Gatton contacted the dispatch center in Dublin to report the crash. He was taken to Grant Medical Center to be treated for injuries to his right leg and is expected to be OK.
Santillan-Trujillo was pronounced dead by medics at 1:51 a.m.
The Columbus Division of Police is investigating the crash.
The westbound lanes of I-70 and the ramps from I-71 and SR 315 to I-70 have reopened after being closed for several hours.