Two people were killed Tuesday morning in a head-on crash involving an SUV and a commercial semi on State Route 613 in Van Buren Township, Putnam County, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. The crash was reported at about 8:18 a.m. on October 20, and both people riding in the SUV were pronounced dead at the scene, closing the state route while crews responded and investigators worked at the site.
According to the patrol’s Lima Post, Lyle St. Clair Jr., 45, of West Millgrove, was driving a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo westbound on State Route 613 when the vehicle traveled left of center. It struck an eastbound 2025 Freightliner Cascadia semi in a head-on collision, the patrol said. The semi was driven by Christopher Clements, 47, of Findlay, and the patrol has not said what caused the SUV to cross the center line.
St. Clair and his passenger, Adam L. Koebel, 43, of Leipsic, were pronounced deceased at the scene, the patrol said. Their identities were released by the patrol after the crash. The patrol released no information on whether Clements was hurt, and no other injuries were reported in the release, which listed the deaths as the only fatalities from the collision.
State Route 613 was to remain closed until the Ohio Department of Transportation finished repairs to the roadway, the patrol said. The release gave no specific time for the road to reopen, tying the reopening directly to completion of the repair work. Drivers in the Van Buren Township and Leipsic area should expect the closure to continue in the meantime and plan to use alternate routes around the crash and repair site.
The patrol was assisted at the scene by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Leipsic Fire Department, Putnam County EMS, Ed’s 24-hour Service, Dick’s Towing Service, Portage EMS, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Putnam County Coroner’s Office, and Love-Heitmeyer Funeral Home, according to the release. The number of assisting agencies reflected the scale of the response to a fatal crash involving a commercial semi on a two-lane state route.
The crash remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and no cause has been released. In its release, the patrol reminded motorists not to drive distracted and to always wear a properly adjusted safety belt. NewsForce247 will update this story as the patrol releases additional confirmed details, including any finding on how the crash happened and when State Route 613 reopens to traffic.