A West Jefferson man was killed and two other drivers were taken to hospitals Tuesday afternoon in a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 36 in Scioto Township, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Delaware post, whose preliminary account was reported by The Columbus Dispatch.
The crash happened at about 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 11 on U.S. 36 near Ostrander Road. The Highway Patrol said Robert Shipley, 64, of West Jefferson in Madison County, was driving a 2018 Ford F-150 pickup westbound on U.S. 36 when he slowed for traffic ahead of him, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
As Shipley’s pickup slowed, it was struck from behind by a 2015 Ford F-350 heavy-duty pickup driven by Brian D. Brown, 62, of Scioto Township, according to the patrol’s account in The Columbus Dispatch. The impact pushed Shipley’s truck across the centerline and into the eastbound lane of the two-lane highway.
In the eastbound lane, Shipley’s pickup was struck on its passenger side by a 2016 Honda Pilot SUV driven by Andrew Mosier, 47, of the Marysville area in Union County, the patrol said. Shipley was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Columbus Dispatch’s report of the patrol’s findings.
Brown and Mosier were both transported to local hospitals, the Highway Patrol said. The patrol did not release either man’s condition, and no information about charges or citations had been announced as of Tuesday evening.
The Highway Patrol’s Delaware post is investigating the crash. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, the Concord Township Fire Department and Delaware County EMS all responded to the scene, according to the patrol.
U.S. 36 is one of the main east-west routes across this part of central Ohio, carrying traffic between Marysville and the city of Delaware through largely rural stretches of Delaware County, including Scioto Township and the Ostrander area. Much of the route is a two-lane highway, where a single rear-end collision can push a vehicle into opposing traffic, as investigators say happened Tuesday.
The corridor is also in the middle of a long-running state conversation about capacity and safety. Earlier this week, NewsForce247 reported that ODOT’s draft funding list puts $15.1 million behind four central Ohio road projects, part of a statewide Transportation Review Advisory Council package that is open for public comment through Dec. 9. In a separate project south of the crash site, the Winchester Pike bridge over U.S. 33 is set to close Nov. 20 for a rebuild lasting more than a year.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know: the crash happened at about 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 11 on U.S. 36 near Ostrander Road in Scioto Township; three vehicles were involved; Robert Shipley, 64, of West Jefferson died at the scene; and the drivers of the other two vehicles, Brian D. Brown, 62, and Andrew Mosier, 47, were taken to local hospitals, all according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol as reported by The Columbus Dispatch. What we are still waiting on: the conditions of Brown and Mosier, whether speed, distraction or another factor played a role, whether any charges or citations will follow, and how long the investigation will take. NewsForce247 will update this story when the Highway Patrol releases those details.
For drivers crossing Delaware County this week, the crash is a reminder that the most dangerous moment on a rural two-lane highway is often the routine one — slowing for the traffic ahead. Troopers routinely urge drivers to leave extra following distance on routes like U.S. 36, where there is no median and very little margin when a vehicle is knocked across the centerline.
Crashes of this kind are among the most difficult for investigators to reconstruct, because the second impact — the one in the opposing lane — often does the most damage. Troopers will document the position of each vehicle, measure skid and gouge marks on the pavement, and interview Brown, Mosier and any witnesses who saw the line of traffic slow on U.S. 36. Drivers who were on U.S. 36 near Ostrander Road early Tuesday afternoon and saw the crash may be able to help the Delaware post complete that picture.
What happens next: the Highway Patrol’s Delaware post will complete its crash investigation, which typically includes a reconstruction of the sequence of impacts and a review of any contributing factors. The patrol has not given a timeline for releasing its final report, and the Delaware County Coroner’s Office would handle any findings on the cause and manner of Shipley’s death.