UPDATE: A 36-year-old Cleveland Heights man has turned himself in to Pepper Pike police after allegedly fleeing the scene of a serious accident on I-271 over a month ago. The suspect surrendered on November 5, following a police investigation into the September 22 incident that resulted in a three-car crash.
The dramatic collision, which was captured on a fourth driver’s dashboard camera, occurred when the accused veered into backed-up traffic in a construction zone before the Cedar Road exit. Although the other two drivers involved were not seriously injured, the footage of the incident has gained over 450,000 views on the police department’s Facebook page as of November 7.
Authorities had previously asked the suspect to come in for questioning, but he initially declined, prompting police to issue a warrant for his arrest. The driver claims he is not responsible for the crash, asserting that his BMW SUV was rear-ended. However, police state that cutting off another vehicle and causing a collision negates that defense.
The initial impact knocked a Subaru SUV into an adjacent lane, where it was struck by an oncoming minivan. In addition to the hit-skip charges, the suspect faces citations for a marked lanes violation and an unsafe lane change. He has since received a personal bond through Shaker Heights Municipal Court, where legal proceedings will continue.
In a separate incident, police responded to another apparent hit-and-run crash around noon on November 4 at Lander Circle. A truck reportedly turned off Lander Road and collided with a car in the traffic circle. Fortunately, the other driver was unharmed, although the airbags deployed due to the impact. Investigators are currently tracing the truck’s license plate, which is registered to a business, to identify the driver.
In addition to these incidents, first responders were dispatched to a house fire alarm on Chestnut Lane at 9 a.m. on November 6. Upon arrival, firefighters found no one answering the door but noticed a haze inside the home. They forced entry and discovered a pot left cooking on the stove, which posed no real danger aside from the burnt pot. The homeowner arrived shortly after and was contacted by authorities.
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