VIDEO: Fatal crash on the Ohio Turnpike

More photos from the scene tomjackson@sanduskyregister.comSaturday's heavy snowstorm took the blame for an Ohio Turnpike crash in Berlin Township at about 11:30 a.m. that killed a Michigan woman and her unborn child.The Ohio Highway Patrol said Beverly Smith, 32, of Middleville, Mich., and the baby she was carrying died as a result of their injuries. Her husband, Eric Smith, 33, suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries, the patrol said. The crash blocked all of the westbound lanes of the turnpike. Eight vehicles were involved in the crash, including five semitrailers. Beverly Smith was a passenger in a Ford F-150 that her husband was driving when the crash occurred, the patrol said. They were trapped for a long time in the vehicle, which ended up underneath a trailer. Once they were extracted, the Smiths were taken to Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky.Six other people were injured, but they refused to be treated or taken to the hospital, the patrol said. The patrol said that while the crash investigation is "in the beginning stages," it's believed drugs and alcohol were not involved, and that snow on the roadway and poor visibility contributed to the crash. Troopers from the Milan post of the highway patrol and the Bucyrus District Crash Reconstruction Team are expected to spend weeks on the investigation. The weather was blamed for other crashes in the Sandusky area, but most of the other crashes were minor. Driving conditions were particularly bad in Ottawa County, where a Level 3 snow emergency was declared for much of the day, lasting until 7 p.m., when Sheriff Steve Levorchick reduced the declaration to a Level 2. Under Level 3, roads are closed to travel unless an emergency exists. Snow blown off the lake by winds gusting up to 30 mph produced whiteout conditions for motorists struggling to see where they were going, the sheriff explained.There were a number of accidents reported, but none were major, the sheriff said.Police in Port Clinton shut down Perry Street, the main street, a little bit after 3 p.m. At first, Perry was shut down from Maple to Washington streets, but later it was closed from Buckeye Boulevard to Jefferson Street, "pretty much the whole thing," police dispatcher Shannon Belcher said."We haven't had accidents. We've had a lot of people stuck. Our tow trucks have been busy," Belcher said.The whiteout conditions in Port Clinton were particularly bad, Levorchick said."My one officer said it was so bad he couldn't even see the hood of his car," he said. "That's why they closed it. They were having so many people getting stuck, and you couldn't see them."Erie County had Level 2 road conditions Saturday, as did Huron County, and Ottawa County after 7 p.m. Roads are declared hazardous, and driving is discouraged unless it is really necessary.Erie County sheriff Paul Sigsworth said there were mostly minor crashes, although his officers assisted in rerouting traffic after the turnpike crash. Visibility at times was an issue, because of blowing snow, he said.Some of the roads closer to the lake had bad visibility, because of snow blowing in off the lake, Sigsworth said.Register photo/LUKE WARK A rescue worker looks at the wreckage of a vehicle after the semi truck it was pinned under was removed following a fatal multi-vehicle crash late Saturday morning on the Ohio Turnpike just east of the Ohio 61 underpass. Register photo/LUKE WARK An Ohio State Highway patrol officer takes a photo of the front of a vehicle pinned under the trailer of a semi truck on the Ohio Turnpike near Berlin Heights on Saturday following a multi-vehicle crash. Register photo/LUKE WARK Wreckage litters the westbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike near Berlin Heights on Saturday after a multi-vehicle fatal crash. Multiple semi trucks and cars were involved which closed down the westbound lane for hours. Register photo/LUKE WARK Two semi trucks sit sideways and partially off the road on the westbound side of the Ohio Turnpike near Berlin Heights on Saturday following a fatal multi-vehicle crash. Weather was believed to have been a major factor in the pileup. Register photo/LUKE WARK Westbound travelers wait for hours on the Ohio Turnpike as emergency workers sort out a multi-vehicle crash that occurred late Saturday morning. Register photo/LUKE WARK Westbound travelers wait for hours on the Ohio Turnpike as emergency workers sort out a multi-vehicle crash that occurred late Saturday morning.