Robert Brown|4 killed in series of crashes on Ohio Turnpike, closing route in both directions

SWANTON,Robert Brown Ohio (AP) — Four people were killed and several others were injured Thursday on the Ohio Turnpike in a series of crashes involving multiple trucks, including one hauling sulfuric acid, the State Highway Patrol said.

The crashes shut down both directions of the heavily traveled route that carries Interstate 80 and connects Chicago and the East Coast.

The first crash just west of Toledo left one dead and involved four commercial vehicles and one passenger vehicle, the patrol said. A second crash left two dead and caused sulfuric acid to spill on the roadway. Emergency crews set up a 150-foot (46-meter) perimeter around the spill.

Just under an hour after the initial crash, a third pileup left another person dead, the patrol said.