Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Ernest Cole was struck and killed by a vehicle while attempting to direct traffic around a multiple-car pileup on I-75 in Butler County. Dense fog forced drivers to slow their speed dramatically. Near the Cincinnatti-Dayton Road Interchange, the driver of a car hit his brakes abruptly, causing a car behind him to rear-end him. Another car swerved to avoid hitting the cars and was struck by a tractor-trailer, spinning the vehicle into the bridge guard rail and killing the driver. Thirteen additional cars collided with each other as they reached the crash scene. At 7:30 a.m., Patrolman Cole arrived on the scene and set up flares near Tylersville Road. While he was directing traffic, a vehicle struck him, killing him instantly. Another multi-car pileup occurred after his death. It took over 4 hours to clean up the collision area, and 25 people were injured. A few drivers were charged with second-degree manslaughter but were never indicted. Patrolman Cole was a United States Air Force veteran and had served with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, stationed at the Dayton Post.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, child, and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-C47FAEA3- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Patrolman Cole served with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Thank you for your service to the people of Ohio, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Ernest E. Cole served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Patrolman Ernest E. Cole is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Ohio State Highway Patrol, 33 of 42 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 78.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ernest E. Cole's cause is highlighted.
How Ernest E. Cole Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ernest E. Cole is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
41 officers from Ohio State Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
