Akron woman, 26, killed in head-on crash on I-480 in Brooklyn Heights

By Josh Newman, cleveland.comcleveland.com Express DeskBROOKLYN HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A 26-year-old Akron woman died after her car crossed the median and collided head-on with another vehicle late Saturday night on Interstate 480, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.Kreigh Grapel-Barnette was driving a 2007 Toyota Yaris east on I-480 near mile marker 19 around 11:27 p.m. Saturday when she went off the left side of the road, crossed the median, and struck a 2026 Subaru Outback traveling west. Grapel-Barnette was wearing a seat belt and was taken by Brooklyn Heights Fire/EMS to MetroHealth Medical Center, where she later died from her injuries.The Subaru driver, James Mieczkowski, 56, of Oak Park, Illinois, and passengers Brenda Massaroni, 64, and Alison Mieczkowski, 23, both of Oak Park, were also wearing seat belts. They were taken to MetroHealth with minor injuries, the patrol said.The westbound lanes of I-480 were closed for about 2.5 hours during the crash investigation. Traffic was diverted onto I-77 South.The crash remains under investigation.Cleveland.com has reached out to the Ohio State Highway Patrol for additional details.Josh Newman is the University of Texas beat writer for LoneStarLive.com and GulfLive.com. Before joining Advance Local in November 2023, he covered the University of Utah for four seasons, first for The Salt...