The accident was near Three Locks Road.
Two people were injured in an accident involving six vehicles that closed US Route 23 for nearly 3 hours, Tuesday. At 11:57am, the Highway Patrol was called to the scene, which was an active construction zone near Three Locks Road. 74-year-old Donald Hackworth, of Lucasville, was driving a vehicle that was pulling a small utility trailer, but it became detached and came to a rest in the lane.
Hackworth was followed by three drivers: 41-year-old Keith Carter, of Virginia, who was driving a semi flatbed trailer, 62-year-old Michael Courts, of West Virginia, and 27-year-old Stephen Beasley, of Chillicothe. They all stopped to avoid hitting the trailer and each another, but 54-year-old Elsa Fisher, of Jackson, who was driving a semi tanker loaded with fuel, struck Beasley's vehicle and started a chain reaction that caused the vehicles drivers behind the detached trailer to strike one another.
A car driven by 59-year-old Kathy Morgan, of Mt. Sterling, also failed to stop and ran into the back of the tanker.
Beasley was taken to Adena Regional Medical Center with minor injuries; however, Courts was taken to Adena and later flown to Grant Medical Center.
Hackworth was cited for operating an unsafe vehicle, while Fisher and Morgan were cited for failing to allow assured clear distance ahead.
Submitted photo.
