Barnett was driving a 2022 Kenworth hauling a flatbed trailer that was loaded with aluminum coils when he approached another semi-tractor that had slowed down for an unknown reason on northbound I-75, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Barnett swerved to the right, striking the right rear trailer that was driven by Faustin Muhire who was not injured, according to the state patrol.
Barnett’s vehicle overturned, drove off the left side of the roadway and into the concrete median. He was ejected from his vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene by Liberty Twp. Fire and EMS paramedics, according to the state patrol.
Drugs and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the crash that remains under investigation, according to the state patrol.
The crash was the 8th roadway fatality in Butler County this year and the 287th in the State of Ohio.
There were 333 Ohio roadway fatalities at this time in 2021, OSHP officials said.
On Tuesday, the Hamilton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol was dispatched just before 9 a.m. to the area about three miles north of the Ohio 129 exit, near Liberty Way, in front of a rest area, said Sgt. Ryan Purpura from OSHP.
During the investigation, northbound traffic was rerouted on Ohio 129. That state route and other roads were packed with motorists who worked their way back onto northbound I-75.
Troopers were assisted on scene by members of the Ohio Department of Transportation, Butler County Sheriff’s Office and Liberty Twp. Fire and EMS.
