News: Cedar Point trip ends in tragedy

Posted at 12:16 AM EDT (0416 GMT)

Jun. 24th, 2004 -- A multivehicle collision on Ohio Route 2 left six people returning home from Cedar Point dead on Monday.

Darryl K. Scott, 44, daughters Brandi Scott, 14, Alexis Howard, 9, and Alecia Howard, 7; niece Ariel Scott, 12; girlfriend Shannon Scott, 24; and Amber Channey, 6, were returning home to Michigan from a trip to Cedar Point when they were struck by an eastbound tractor-trailer on Ohio Route 2 at 11:46 p.m. on Monday, June 21.

The family was riding in a Cadillac Escalade that was behind three other cars in the westbound lane of Route 2. The first car in the line, a Chevrolet Blazer, crossed over to the eastbound lane and struck the oncoming truck. The truck then collided head-on with Scott's Escalade.

The Escalade was found lying upside-down in a nearby marsh. Brandi Scott was thrown from the vehicle and suffered from spinal cord injuries while the rest of the passengers who remained in the truck died from injuries or drowning.

The trip had been planned by Darryl to alleviate some of the emotional stress that his daughters had been experiencing since the death of their mother from cancer last fall.

Route 2 has history of incidents similar to this one. In 1997, 30 miles from Cedar Point, a group of five teenagers and one adult were killed when their van was struck by a tractor-trailer.

Local citizens have raised concern about the safety of Route 2. A campaign has been started in an attempt to get the truck drivers to slow down on the highway by reducing the speed limit by 5 miles per hour and increasing the amount of police radar monitoring.

For further information, visit The Detroit News.

ThrillNetwork brings you news and information about amusement parks, theme parks, roller coasters and thrill rides. Here you will find up-to-date news and travel discounts on your favorite parks including, Six Flags, Cedar Point, Cedar Fair, Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Paramount Parks.