Cleveland, OH
A Bike Cleveland report says more crashes can be prevented
Cleveland has touted investments made across the city to improve road safety in recent years. Still, the number of crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians and the number of traffic fatalities climbed in 2024, according to Bike Cleveland.
In a presentation to Cleveland City Council members last week, the advocacy group noted that fatal traffic crashes in the city jumped by more than 70% in a two-year period from 43 in 2022 to 75 in 2024.
Each statistic represents someone whose life was changed by a crash, and as Bike Cleveland’s report states, “These crashes are not accidents — they’re the tragic and preventable result of streets that fail to keep people safe.”
In 2022, Cleveland adopted the Vision Zero Initiative, committing to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2032.
The number of people hit while walking or biking increased from about 550 to 603 in 2024.
Nationally, traffic crashes spiked following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenna Thomas, Bike Cleveland’s Advocacy Director, told Signal Cleveland.
Between May 2020 and December 2022, traffic crashes killed 114,528 people nationwide, about 17% more than would have been expected had pre-pandemic trends continued, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Thomas said it is fortunate that fatal crashes locally appear to be dropping in 2025.
Council Member Charles Slife asked Bike Cleveland’s presenters how the city should move forward. Thomas said the city should continue to invest in its current traffic safety commitments.
In April, the City launched Cleveland Moves, a five-year plan to make it “safer, more convenient, and more comfortable to get around Cleveland.” Building on the Vision Zero Action Plan, it calls for 50 miles of new or upgraded bikeways and neighborhood greenways with traffic-calming features such as speed tables, curb extensions or narrowed lanes.
The city installed 100 speed tables in 2024 and plans to add an additional 100 this year. Speed tables are flat on the top and are not as abrupt as speed bumps, which are narrower and rounded, making them easier to cross for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Thomas said Bike Cleveland’s report should be a resource for council members who can see a breakdown in crashes by ward and safety recommendations based on data the organization gathers.
Cleveland’s current Ward 3, which includes parts of Tremont, Ohio City and downtown, had the highest number of crashes in 2024 last year with 85 total and three fatalities. Ward 6, which includes the Buckeye neighborhood, had 52 reported crashes, including eight involving children.
In the past, Thomas said, reports of pedestrian and bicycle crashes in Cleveland have relied solely on a state-required crash report called an OH-1s. Those reports document who was involved and how the crash occurred.
Bike Cleveland compared the state crash reports to Cleveland’s OpenData Portal, which reports all 911 calls and data from the city’s dispatch system. Bike Cleveland’s report found that fewer than half of the 911 calls for bike or pedestrian crashes resulted in an official state crash report.
“This disparity is pretty shocking,” said Thomas. There are at least twice as many people getting hit in Cleveland than state reports show.
According to Thomas, victims rely on the OH-1 state forms to take legal action and file insurance claims. Decision-makers use the same information to decide how to design the city’s streets. Without complete data, city planners may underestimate danger zones and misallocate safety interventions.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA), major funding sources for local transportation projects, distribute resources based on documented crash patterns. If Cleveland underreports incidents, the city risks losing funding for safety projects that could prevent future crashes, Thomas said.
Angelo Trivisonno, who helped Bike Cleveland collect data, said many crash victims don’t report incidents. Police officers sometimes skip required crash reports when victims decline to file criminal complaints, he said.
Requiring in-person reports also discourages victims. Trivisonno suggested allowing people to make those reports over the phone or online.
Thomas said Cleveland doesn’t have the same resources dedicated to the issue as other Ohio cities. Cincinnati, for example, hired a public works crew dedicated to installing speed tables and traffic calming projects across the city. A higher staff capacity for traffic safety in Cleveland would accelerate the work needed to reduce crashes, she said.
Thomas called for clearer coordination between the multiple police departments that operate in the city, so reporting responsibilities are clear and the same for all departments.
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland police arrest suspect in involuntary manslaughter investigation, find fentanyl and PCP
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Division of Police worked with multiple agencies to arrest a man in an investigation into involuntary manslaughter and found drugs during a police search Wednesday.
The Cleveland Division of Police Narcotics Unit worked with the U.S. Marshals Task Force to arrest 33-year-old James Williams as part of the division’s Violent Crime Reduction efforts.
Williams was taken into custody in the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood in Cleveland’s Fourth District Wednesday.
He was previously wanted on an involuntary manslaughter investigation warrant in connection with three fatal drug overdoses, police say.
In November 2025, Williams was identified by the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office as one of 37 suspects in a large-scale drug trafficking organization.
Police say that during the investigation into Williams, they seized thousands of grams of illegal narcotics.
After Williams’ arrest, the Narcotics Unit executed a search of his home.
During the search, police say the unit found 83 grams of suspected cocaine, 76 grams of suspected fentanyl and 824 grams of suspected PCP.
Investigators say they seized numerous items associated with drug manufacturing and distribution that contained suspected drug residue.
Investigators say Williams was involved in distributing dangerous narcotics, including mixtures containing fentanyl and xylazine, a drug commonly used as a tranquilizer for animals.
Police say when xylazine is mixed with fentanyl, it can increase the risk of overdose and death.
Police said Narcan can reverse the opioid effects of fentanyl, but it cannot reverse the effects of xylazine, which makes those overdoses dangerous and in need of medical intervention.
“Every day, these men and women dedicate countless hours to complex investigations aimed at removing violent offenders, illegal firearms, and dangerous narcotics from our neighborhoods. We remain deeply concerned about the presence of Xylazine, a dangerous substance that does not respond to Narcan and is contributing to fatal overdoses,” Chief Dorothy Todd said. “We are grateful for the continued dedication of our local, state, and federal partners as we work together to reduce violent crime, disrupt criminal organizations, and keep Cleveland’s residents safe.”
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Woman killed, several children injured in Ohio Turnpike crash in Lorain County
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A 28-year-old woman is dead, and three children are hospitalized following a one-car rollover accident in Elyria Township in the eastbound lanes of the Ohio Turnpike.
The crash happened around 11:54 a.m. at milepost 146.3.
During the investigation of the crash OSHP learned that the crash happened when the Toyota RAV4, driven by Najalee N. Rivera, drove off the right side of the road, struck a guardrail, and overturned.
The vehicle was also occupied by three children. A 7-year-old boy, a 8-year-old girl, and 4-year-old girl all from Lorain, they all suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported by LifeCare Ambulance to University Elyria Hospital.
Rivera was not wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash, according to OSHP.
Two of the lanes were reopened about 4:15 p.m., according to a social media post from the Ohio Turnpike.
Check back with 19 News for the latest on this story.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
LOOK: Remembering the Cavs championship win, victory parade 10 years later
CLEVELAND (WJW) — Ten years ago, Cleveland experienced one of the most unforgettable moments in the city’s history.
The Cavaliers became the first-ever team to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a championship. By winning the 2016 NBA Finals, they also ended a 52-year championship drought for Cleveland.
Mr. Cavalier, Austin Carr, said he still relishes that moment 10 years later.
“The odds we overcame to win that championship,” he said. “Not only did we have to win three straight games, but we also had to have the right things happen at the right moment in order to win it. And that just tells me how difficult it is … with ‘The Shot’, ‘The Block’, and the defensive move. All those. It was just meant to be.”
The victory over the Golden State Warriors catapulted LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, J.R. Smith and the rest of the crew into essential Northeast Ohio sainthood.
When Akron’s own James screamed the now-famous phrase, “Cleveland, this is for you!” following the game, a whole legion of Cleveland fans around the country wept and cheered along with him.

When Smith refused to put a shirt on for what seemed like a whole summer in honor of the win, it felt right and proper.
Whenever the long-since traded Irving comes back to town, he’s remembered for his important 3-pointer at the end of Game 7 and not the way he left the team.
And the city made history again just a few days later, when more than 1.3 million people flooded downtown Cleveland for the championship parade. According to the Cavs, it remains the largest NBA championship parade ever.
The current Cavaliers (now in their Donovan Mitchell era) haven’t been back to the NBA Finals. They reached the conference finals this past spring for the first time since 2018. But a finals appearance has still eluded the wine and gold.
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