By Dave O'Brien
Record-Courier staff writer
A three-car crash on S.R. 14 killed an Industry Road resident, injured the two other drivers, sending one into the West Branch reservoir, and closed the road for the better part of the day Thursday.
The accident occurred at about 7:27 a.m., about two miles southeast of Ravenna where the corners of Charlestown, Edinburg, Ravenna Township and Rootstown meet.
A semi carrying dry concrete powder was eastbound when a car driven by Mary L. French, 78, of Edinburg, failed to yield at a stop sign at Industry Road and S.R. 14 and pulled out in front of the truck, according to the Ravenna Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol.
Truck driver Walter Jones, 44, of Cleveland, swerved and attempted to stop his truck, which was carrying 25,000 pounds of dry cement powder, and collided with French's vehicle.
French most likely was killed on impact, according to Ravenna Township Fire Chief Steve Bosso.
The collision almost sent the truck and the wreckage of French's Ford into the Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir at West Branch State Park. Meanwhile, a north-bound Jeep Cherokee driven by Peggy Griffith, 53, of Deerfield, swerved to avoid the crash and ended up in the reservoir.
Randy Harper of Bath was driving in a second cement truck behind Jones when he saw the wreck ahead of him. A retired police officer, Harper said he and Jones were eastbound on S.R. 14 toward Interstate 76 when he saw the first truck "go left, then go right" and then saw a "cloud of dust."
Harper said he didn't know what had happened until he turned onto Industry Road, stopped his truck, got out and "heard the lady (Griffith) screaming."
"She was screaming for help," he said.
Harper said he climbed over the guardrail and saw Griffith in her sinking car. He had taken off his jacket and was prepared to dive in, but was able to help pull her out of the water. He said she had a minor head injury and a broken leg.
Bosso said the Edinburg Fire Department transported Griffith to Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna. A Ravenna City Fire Department ambulance took Jones there as well. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.
Bosso said his department originally received a request for the Portage County Water Rescue Team and was on the scene by 8 a.m.
"When we got the call for the dive team, it was "car in the water, person out of the car,'" Bosso said. "I pulled up and thought "Wow, this is a lot different than I thought it was.'"
Jones' truck was "right on top of the Ravenna Township sign," Bosso said, but the area is near the border of four townships. He said he and Edinburg Fire Chief Tim Paulus took command of the scene, which crews were still working into the afternoon as wreckers cleaned up debris.
A large crane from Falls and Stebbins Automotive in Mantua was used to lift the nearly unrecognizable remains of the wrecked car onto a flatbed trailer. Floating booms were placed in the reservoir by hazmat crews to contain any spilled oil from the vehicles.
A total of about 50 personnel from local and county agencies eventually responded to the crash, Bosso said. Other fire departments responding with personnel or vehicles included Kent, Palmyra, Ravenna city, Ravenna Township, Rootstown and Streetsboro.
The northbound lane of S.R. 14 was closed until dark Thursday and will be closed again today for crews to excavate contaminated soil, according to The Ohio Department of Transportation. The one open lane of traffic will be maintained by flaggers.
ODOT advised motorists to detour onto S.R. 44 to the S.R. 5/44 bypass to I-76 to avoid the incident scene.
The Ravenna Post of the Ohio Highway Patrol is investigating.