Police identify suspected wrong-way driver in I-75 crash that killed Mason family

The driver police suspect of driving the wrong way on Interstate 75 and crashed head-on into another car killing three Warren County family members on St. Patrick's Day has been identified.

Moraine police identified the driver as 21-year-old Abby Michaels.

>> Police: Alcohol a factor in ‘horrific’ I-75 wrong-way crash that kills family of 3

According to Moraine police, Michaels was driving a car that crossed over the median in the area of the 49 mile marker in the paved turn-around and turned into oncoming traffic.

Her Kia Forte collided with a Toyota Camry carrying Mason residents Timmy Thompson, 51, Karen Thompson, 50, and their daughter, Tessa Thompson, 10 in the southbound lanes.

Michaels is listed in serious condition at Miami Valley Hospital, police said.

>> Family’s deaths latest in wrong-way wreck fatalities on area highways

Police had said they suspected alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. The wreck occurred between Dryden Road and South Dixie Drive around 8 p.m. Sunday in a wreck that backed up traffic for hours, authorities said.

The Thompsons were the latest victims of area wrong-way interstate crashes, which have claimed at least a dozen area lives in roughly the past three years.

Related coverage:  3 things to know if you spot a wrong-way driver 

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