Three people were injured Monday night in a head-on crash on State Route 159 near Clayburne Boulevard in Green Township, Ross County, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Troopers from the Patrol’s Chillicothe Post responded after the Patrol’s Jackson Communication Center received a report of the two-vehicle crash at about 9:55 p.m. on October 26, the Patrol said.
According to the Patrol, a 2015 Kia Sorento driven by Merissa Smallridge, 17, of Laurelville, was traveling northeast on State Route 159 when it was struck by a 2019 Ford F-150 driven by Benjamin Beechler, 44, of Chillicothe. The Patrol has not released any further detail about how the two vehicles came to collide, and its investigation is continuing.
Christopher Compher, 51, of Chillicothe, a passenger in the Ford F-150, sustained serious injuries in the crash, according to the Patrol. He was taken to Adena Regional Medical Center by Green Township EMS and was later flown to Grant Medical Center by MedFlight, the Patrol said.
Smallridge was taken to Adena Regional Medical Center by Springfield Township EMS with minor injuries and was later transported to Children’s Hospital, according to the Patrol. Beechler also sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene, the Patrol said. No condition updates for any of the three had been released as of Tuesday morning.
The Highway Patrol was assisted at the scene by Green Township EMS, Springfield Township EMS and Penwell’s Towing, according to the Patrol. State Route 159 south was closed for approximately three hours while troopers investigated the crash, tying up traffic along the corridor northeast of Chillicothe late into the night.
State Route 159 is a key route linking Chillicothe with Kingston and communities to the northeast, carrying a mix of local traffic, commuters and commercial vehicles through Ross County’s Green Township. Monday night’s closure forced drivers to find alternate routes while emergency crews treated the injured and cleared the scene.
The crash remains under investigation by the Chillicothe Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which has not said whether any citations will follow. Drivers traveling State Route 159 through the area are reminded to use caution, particularly after dark, and to watch for emergency vehicles whenever crews are working along the roadway.
Photo: Raymond Wambsgans, CC BY-SA 2.0