Police locate and charge driver who stopped on I-71 in May, causing multi-vehicle crash

We've seen more than one video of drivers stopping, then backing up in the middle of Ohio freeways.

Back in May, the Ohio Department of Transportation posted video of a driver backing up on I-71, then causing a crash. Since then, two more videos of similar incidents in Columbus have also popped up.

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"The video was not clear enough to get a tag," said Officer Shannon Schmid with the Columbus Police Freeway Patrol.

Schmid was tasked with locating the driver of the crash on April 30.

"I was able to narrow it down to about 250 red minivans just registered in Franklin County," said officer Scmid.

After going through all 250 vehicle registrations, he narrowed it down to the right one, based on a sticker on the back window. That driver has now been charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle willful and wanton disregard for safety.

Schmid said while it's not always crystal clear, it's important to find these drivers and hold them accountable, as this driving behavior is happening more often on Ohio freeways. Traffic enforcement officers credit that back to drivers being too focused on their phones and being distracted in other ways

While this particular crash did not cause any major injuries, things could have been much worse.

"It's similar to disciplining a child. The reason you get a citation or a summons is not punishment. It's to correct bad driving behavior. In hopes that once you make it through this particular infraction that you've learned from your mistakes and what possibly casualties could've happened that day," said Schmid.

Safety officials with Columbus police and ODOT say these cases serve as a reminder to leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, as you never know what will happen.