Sunday, June 27, 2004
Cedar Point trip for grieving children ends in tragic crash
A sad accident took place while I was at the park:
Sunday's trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park was one of several excursions planned for the coming months.
All of those plans were destroyed Monday night in a multivehicle accident that left six dead. Those killed in the accident were Scott, 44, of Detroit; two of his daughters, Alexis Howard, 9, and Alecia Howard, 7, both of Eastpointe; his niece Ariel Scott, 12, of Detroit; his girlfriend, Shannon Scott, 24, of Romulus; and a sixth passenger, Amber Channey, 6, of Ypsilanti.
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The crash happened on the sometimes maligned Ohio Route 2, one of two primary routes for Michigan visitors to Cedar Point, the popular Sandusky amusement park on Lake Erie.
The accident bears eerie similarities to one that took place on the same road in August 1997. That crash claimed six lives, including five Detroit teenagers headed to Cedar Point, and happened roughly eight miles from Monday's crash.
Darryl Scott's Cadillac Escalade Monday night was third in a line of cars headed west on a two-lane section of Route 2, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
A Chevy Blazer was at the head of the group, followed by a Toyota and then the Escalade. As the three vehicles passed the Route 19 intersection at 11:46 p.m., an eastbound tractor-trailer approached the group.
“It appears as though the Blazer crossed over the center line and struck the truck,” said Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Rick Zwayer. “The truck continued eastward to hit the Toyota and then struck the Escalade head-on.”
The Escalade broke through a guardrail and came to a stop on its roof in a nearby marshy area of Turtle Creek. Brandi Scott was thrown from the vehicle and pinned underneath it, according to Rita McClendon-Scott, Darryl Scott' sister. McClendon-Scott said the 13-year-old called family members from her hospital room.
