Woman suffers cuts after part of Route 8 highway light in Akron falls

Sep 28, 2023

A newly installed light fixture over Route 8 in Akron apparently came loose Tuesday and fell onto a passing motorist's pickup truck, according to city officials.

A motorist suffered minor injuries after part of a highway light fixture fell onto her windshield as she was driving south on Route 8 near the Perkins Street exit in Akron.

Police were called to the scene around 5 p.m. and found a 61-year-old Mahoning County woman had pulled off the highway at Perkins Street.

Her vehicle, a 2017 Ram 2500 pickup, had a shattered windshield on the driver's side. The reporting officer said a large piece of glass had fallen onto the truck from a light pole on the west side of the highway. The woman suffered some minor cuts from the shattered glass and was treated by firefighters at the scene.

The light fixture is maintained by the city of Akron, although the Ohio Department of Transportation is preparing to begin a multi-million dollar replacement of the Route 8 bridge.

"Our contractor replaced several light fixtures on the bridge on Saturday, June 3," said Stephanie Marsh, chief communications officer for the city.

"The lens of one of the light fixtures apparently vibrated loose and fell," she said.

"A crew arrived at the scene to remove the remainder of the light fixture to avoid any additional mishaps. We also had them check all of the other light fixtures which had been worked on to ensure they were secure."

Route 8 closure:Akron police explain why state Route 8 was temporarily closed Monday morning