3 dead in fiery wrong-way crash on I-90 in Avon

9 updates

11/08/2026 07:45 PM

Domestic Dispute

Avon Lake, OH

3 dead in fiery wrong-way crash on I-90 in Avon

A wrong-way driver on I-90 in Avon crashed and the vehicle caught fire, killing three people. Traffic was shut down between Crocker and the crash scene as crews worked the area.

Not an official report. AI-summarized timeline based on public sources. Verify with official channels.

Incident Timeline

around 10:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 8

Domestic disturbance in Avon Lake leads to search for gray Tesla

On a Sunday night, Avon Lake police respond to a reported domestic disturbance between a husband and wife, but the husband leaves the scene in a gray Tesla before officers arrive. Avon Lake officers determine they have probable cause to charge him with domestic violence and alert neighboring agencies to be on the lookout for the Tesla, which has been reported leaving the scene of the incident.
10:45 p.m.

Avon officers are alerted to the Tesla and move to intercept near Nagel and Avon roads

Avon Lake advises Avon police that a gray Tesla sedan tied to the domestic incident is in the area near Nagel Road and Avon Road and should be stopped. Dispatch relays that Avon Lake is tracking the vehicle in real time but is not in pursuit, Avon units ask clarifying questions about whether there is an active chase and about the license plate, and an Avon officer reports spotting the Tesla and notes it turning around near Avon Road as units move to intercept.

00:30

Lorain OH Law Dispatch Group Calls

This transcript is auto-generated from live dispatch audio and may be incomplete or inaccurate.

00:00

Nagel Road, turning onto Avon Road.

00:03

Avon Lake is attempting to stop a gray Tesla sedan.

00:10

It's going to be a DV suspect out of their city.

00:13

They're tracking it in real time.

00:15

Copy. So Avon Lake is in pursuit of this, correct?

00:17

Negative.

00:18

Okay, and they want us to stop it?

00:20

Affirmative.

00:21

They're gonna get an officer en route as soon as they can.

00:23

What's the plate?

00:24

They don't have one.

00:25

I'm getting a name and date of birth.

00:26

Copy. Units in the area.

00:27

Copy.

00:28

64, I got it.

00:29

He's turning around at Avon Road here again.
around 10:50 p.m. Sunday

Tesla flees attempted traffic stop and enters I-90 the wrong way

An Avon officer attempts a traffic stop on the Tesla as it travels north on Nagel Road toward Interstate 90, but the driver does not stop. According to investigators, the driver instead turns onto the westbound I-90 exit ramp at Nagel Road, driving the wrong way down the ramp and then continuing east in the westbound lanes, with only about 20 seconds elapsing between the attempted stop and the eventual crash.
10:49 p.m.

Wrong-way Tesla collides with two vehicles on I-90, sparking a fatal fire

Traveling east in the westbound lanes of I-90 near Nagel Road, the Tesla crashes into a westbound Chevrolet Cruze and a Chevrolet Traverse, causing a violent multi-vehicle collision. The impact kills the Tesla driver and two people in the Cruze at the scene, injures the Traverse driver, and causes the Tesla to catch fire as officers arrive and urgently call for fire crews and extinguishers while reporting that the wrong-way vehicle is burning with the driver still inside.

00:21

Lorain OH Law Dispatch Group Calls

This transcript is auto-generated from live dispatch audio and may be incomplete or inaccurate.

00:00

83, I'm out with 64.

00:01

83, get fire out.

00:02

We got a fire going.

00:04

64's en route.

00:05

Code assist. Is that going to be 90 feet south or 90 west? He's going the wrong way on.

00:09

Wrong way on 90 West.

00:11

I need someone down here with a fire extinguisher now.

00:16

In route. Someone come down with a fire extinguisher now.

00:18

He's in the car burning.

00:19

I'm coming.

00:20

I'm coming. I copy.
10:59 p.m.

Mutual aid is coordinated as agencies manage the crash scene and other calls

In the aftermath of the fiery crash, dispatchers coordinate with Avon Lake and discuss bringing in additional help from nearby jurisdictions such as Westlake or a nearby village. Units talk over the radio about switching channels, covering pending calls elsewhere, and one officer notes having changed to another agency’s status channel and needing to respond there, while dispatch checks whether more assistance is required.

00:15

Lorain OH Law Dispatch Group Calls

This transcript is auto-generated from live dispatch audio and may be incomplete or inaccurate.

00:00

Hi (name withheld), Avon Lake advised they have a unit out.

00:03

You want me to get somebody from the village or Westlake?

00:05

Westlake if you can.

00:06

83, I switched to their status.

00:08

So I'm gonna have to go over there.

00:09

Hi (name withheld), thank you.

00:10

83, you have any calls pending?

00:12

Absolutely. You need me elsewhere?

00:13

Not for now.

00:14

Just checking where you're at.
11:04 p.m.

I-90 westbound is shut down between Crocker Road and the crash site to clear trapped traffic

As troopers and officers work the fatal crash on I-90 westbound near Nagel Road, they position units east of the accident to turn vehicles around and get them off the highway. Over the radio, they coordinate with Westlake to shut I-90 down at Crocker Road, discuss which lanes and berms to use to escort vehicles out one at a time, and later confirm that all traffic between Crocker Road and the crash scene has been cleared.

01:04

Lorain OH Law Dispatch Group Calls

This transcript is auto-generated from live dispatch audio and may be incomplete or inaccurate.

00:00

41,

00:01

83 and 79. Just checking, where are you guys at? I see you, Q.

00:05

79,

00:06

I am east of the accident.

00:09

I'm going to get traffic turned around to get off I-90 here.

00:11

Copy. If you want to let Westlake do that, are you guys going to try and turn people and head them back east and the turnaround?

00:17

Correct. That's my plan.

00:19

And hopefully Westlake has it shut down back at Crocker.Copy.

00:24

Sounds good.

00:25

Let me know if you need anything down there.

00:26

41, where you at?

00:27

I currently have the left lane

00:29

preparing to follow you down.

00:30

You might have to go down the high speed lane.

00:32

I'm sorry, the slow speed lane berm to get them turned around, and I'm trying to get them out one at a time.

00:36

Copy. Thanks.

00:38

Let me know if you guys need anything down there.

00:39

(number withheld).

00:41

Go ahead.

00:42

Anything? Okay. Do you want me to put barricades or anything?

00:45

No, we should be good.

00:46

41 to 79. The last vehicle should be a Santa Fe SUV, (number withheld).

00:54

Copy that.

00:55

Copy. 41C.

00:57

41. I believe from Crocker to our accident scene is now going to be clear.

01:01

79 to 41, that's everyone, they're out of here.

01:04

Copy.
11:29 p.m.

Officers remain on scene for extended investigation and request ODOT camera footage

With traffic cleared and the highway shut down, officers advise dispatch that they can be reassigned if new calls come in but otherwise will stay at the crash scene for the ongoing investigation. Later, a unit asks dispatch to obtain and email Ohio Department of Transportation camera footage from nearby highway cameras to assist investigators in reconstructing the wrong-way collision.

00:28

Lorain OH Law Dispatch Group Calls

This transcript is auto-generated from live dispatch audio and may be incomplete or inaccurate.

00:00

Nine nine four station.

00:01

Nine nine four out.

00:02

Seven nine station.

00:05

Go ahead.

00:06

Myself and 41 , you can break us at any point if you get some calls.

00:10

Thanks.

00:11

91 station.

00:12

If you can, if you can go on ODOT's website to the cameras, you can submit to have these nail cameras emailed to one of us.

00:21

If you can have it emailed to me, that'd be great.

00:23

Okay, I can do that.

00:26

Yeah, I can do that.
by Monday morning

Authorities confirm three fatalities and one injury in the I-90 wrong-way crash

The Ohio State Highway Patrol and Avon police later confirm that three adults—the Tesla driver and two occupants of the Chevrolet Cruze—died at the scene of the crash, while the driver of the Chevrolet Traverse was taken to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening. Officials note that the crash closed all lanes of I-90 West at Crocker Road for several hours overnight before the highway reopened around 5:30 a.m. Monday.
Later

Investigators divide responsibilities and families mourn the victims

As the investigation continues, Avon police handle the circumstances surrounding the earlier domestic incident, the attempted traffic stop, and the events leading up to the crash, while the Ohio State Highway Patrol focuses on reconstructing the collision itself. In the days that follow, families and friends publicly mourn the two best friends who were in the Cruze, remembering them as young women returning home from a concert, and local officials express condolences to all those affected by the tragedy.