Holiday Travelers Killed In Ohio Car Accident

Posted on December 24, 2012 | Written By: iadminlaw

Car accidents that involve fatalities can be tragic, especially around the holidays. While millions of Americans hope to be home for Christmas, some never make it.

Four people were killed when a minivan carrying a family leaving a Christmas party went the wrong way on a southwestern Ohio highway and hit another minivan whose driver and family were going to see grandparents for the holidays.

Interstate 77 in Ohio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The 2:30 a.m. head-on collision on Interstate 75 near Franklin took the lives of three adults and a 7-year-old boy and critically injured two other children.

Alcohol was a suspected factor. Investigators smelled liquor in the minivan that was going the wrong way and found a bottle of alcohol in the vehicle.

Joshua Nkansah, 40, of Fairfield was driving with his children when he turned his minivan around on the highway and started driving the wrong way. The vehicle hit another minivan carrying Scott and Michele Barhorst of Madisonville, Tennessee and their four children, who ranged in ages from 8 to 18.

Nkansah was killed along with his 7-year-old son, David, and 31-year-old Michele Barhorst. Scott Barhorst, 37, later died at a Cincinnati hospital.

Nkansah’s 4-year-old son, Darius, and the Barhorsts’ 9-year-old daughter, Haley, were in critical condition.

The Barhorsts were headed to St. Mary’s in western Ohio to visit the children’s grandparents for Christmas. Nkansah’s wife was home at the time of the accident.

If you or a loved one were the victim of a car accident that was caused by negligence or some other form of reckless behavior, it is important that you contact a committed and dedicated personal injury lawyer to help you decide if you should file a lawsuit. A competent and reputable injury lawyer can help you receive the compensation you deserve for your pain and suffering.