Three Marine recruits were killed after an accident involving at least seven vehicles in Warren Township Wednesday afternoon.
Along with a driver and another recruit, the three had been headed to Cleveland to take their military entrance exams.
"I've done this probably 100 times," said Lt. Joe Dragovich, commander of the Warren Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. "This was absolutely the worst one. You see his bright red sweatshirt and have to go tell his dad who is proud as can be...and has no idea."
Killed were Zachery A. Nolen, 19, of Newton Falls; Joshua A. Sherbourne, 21, of Southington; and Michael T. Theodore Jr., 19, of Warren.
According to Ohio State Highway Patrol officials, at least one dozen people in all were involved in the accident, which happened about 3:45 p.m. on state Route 5 near Burnett Road.
According to OSP officials, Sgt. Charles Keene was driving a Pontiac G6 with front seat passenger and recruit Carl McDermott III, of Masury. Nolan, Sherbourne and Theodore were sitting in the back seat. Just as Keene went to drive through the intersection of state Route 5 and Burnett Road, a tractor trailer driven by Donald Williams, of Youngstown, crashed into them from behind.
The G6 was then forced into the intersection from the impact, spun around and was hit several times by several other vehicles, said police.
Philip Franklin, of Newton Falls, said he witnessed the crash. He was in his vehicle right next to the recruits, stopped at the red light and headed westbound on state Route 5. When the light at Market and Burnett turned green, both vehicles started to go.
"Out of my mirror I saw where a semi-truck piled into a red pick-up truck, which hit a couple other vehicles and slammed the pick-up truck into the marine recruiter's car," Franklin said.
Franklin and others rushed to try and help the passengers in the car.
"The first Marine we got out of the back seat was bleeding profusely from everywhere," Franklin said. "We tried to give him CPR and stop the bleeding, and he was the first one life-flighted, and there was another one that was trapped in the back of the car. He didn't make it."
The Mahoning County Coroner's Office said one victim died at the scene, another at Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital and the third at Saint Elizabeth Health Center.
Police said the Marine vehicle caught the brunt of the damage during the crash.
Several in the other vehicles were taken to several area hospitals, but police said there were no other serious injuries.
State Route 5 was closed from about 3:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Two medical helicopters responded to the scene, along with Warren Township, Newton Falls, Champion and Braceville fire and police.
