The Mahoning County coroner's office has not released the names of the victims' in Tuesday's triple fatal accident on Youngstown's east side.

The crash occurred in the 2200 block of Youngstown-Hubbard Road at around 1:30 p.m.

Two vehicles were involved in the head-on crash when a jeep and a car struck head-on.  A third vehicle swerved to avoid being hit.

Two people were killed in the car instantly, and the driver of the Jeep also died at the scene.   

Witnesses say the passenger told them the driver of the Jeep tried to pass another car in a no passing zone.  That passenger identified by a friend as Tim Ward of Hubbard was taken to the hospital for his injuries his condition is still unknown at this time.

Youngstown Police Lieutenant Bill Ross who is in charge of the YPD Accident Investigation Unit says his team is using Total Station technology to help retrace the crash and determine the speeds of the vehicles involved as well as other factors.

The coroner's office had said that they would not release the names of the victims until family members could be notified. However, the owner of the Jeep, Elizabeth Barthany identified the driver who was killed as her mother's boyfriend, Mark Blackburn of Hubbard.

"Some of my friends had seen pictures of a white Jeep on Facebook knew that Mark had just left and seen the white Jeep so they had called me and I jumped in the truck and come up here and when I got to the car I knew it was mine," Barthany said.

Barthany says Blackburn had just left her home on Logan Avenue and was going to West Virginia to pick her Mom up and bring her back to the Valley for a visit.  Through tear filled eyes she said, "He was a great guy.  He was a lovable person.  He loved to hunt, he loved to fish, he loved the kids -- they all loved to play with him.  And it's really devastating right now."

When asked how her mom is taking the news Barthany said, "She dropped the phone.  She couldn't even say anything.  She dropped the phone.  My aunt had to pick it up.  I just heard my mom screaming in the background."

Police closed Youngstown-Hubbard Road from the intersection of Albert Street to Logangate, in the area of the private prison for hours on Tuesday afternoon so crews could investigate the crash.