A 17-year-old girl was killed and three people were seriously injured Saturday night in a multi-vehicle crash at the intersection of U.S. 30 and State Route 511 in Vermillion Township, according to the Ashland Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Troopers were dispatched to the crash at about 7:13 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31. The patrol said a 2010 Hyundai Elantra driven by the 17-year-old was traveling southbound on State Route 511 when it failed to stop at the stop sign at U.S. 30 and entered the intersection directly into the path of a westbound 2013 Jeep Wrangler. The patrol’s account of the crash was reported by WMFD in Mansfield and by the Shelby News Reporter, and the two reports agree on the sequence of events and on the injuries.
After the first collision, both the Hyundai and the Jeep crossed the median and came to rest in the eastbound lanes of U.S. 30, the patrol said. A 2006 Acura TL traveling eastbound then struck the Jeep in the left eastbound lane and traveled off the south side of the roadway. Two additional vehicles struck debris from the crash that was scattered in the roadway, bringing the total number of vehicles involved to five.
The driver of the Hyundai was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to the patrol. Her name has not been released. A 17-year-old male passenger in the Hyundai was flown by Metro Life Flight to Akron City Hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the Jeep, Maximus Davis, 25, of Jeromesville, was taken to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital and was then flown to Grant Medical Center in Columbus with serious injuries. The driver of the Acura, James Cavera, 19, of Bowling Green, was taken to OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital with serious injuries.
The patrol said everyone involved in the crash was wearing a safety belt, and that alcohol and drugs are not considered factors. Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office and by fire and EMS crews from Ashland, Mifflin, Jeromesville and Hayesville, according to the patrol.
The crash, at an intersection about 24 miles south of New London, remains under investigation by the Ashland Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Troopers have not said when the names of the two 17-year-olds will be released, and no charges have been announced.