COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 36-year-old woman has died after her SUV veered off an Interstate 270 entrance ramp and slammed into a light pole in Columbus early Saturday morning.
Maxine Ohakim was driving a white Honda CR-V shortly after 3 a.m. when the crash occurred on the ramp from East Main Street toward northbound I-270. She was the only person in the vehicle.
For reasons that remain unclear, the Honda left the roadway while navigating a curve and crashed violently into a light pole. The impact left the SUV badly damaged.
Emergency crews were called to the scene at about 3:03 a.m. and found Ohakim seriously injured inside the wreckage. Paramedics freed her from the vehicle and rushed her to Mount Carmel East Hospital in critical condition.
Despite efforts by medical staff to save her, Ohakim later died from her injuries.
Her sudden death has left family and friends heartbroken. Those who knew her described her as a kind and warm person whose smile and laughter touched the lives of people around her.
Loved ones are now left to mourn a life that ended unexpectedly, remembering the ordinary moments they shared with her — conversations, meals, laughter and time spent together.
Police are continuing to investigate what caused Ohakim’s vehicle to leave the roadway. The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation.