A Homerville man is dead, days after he was injured in a car-buggy crash in Ashland County.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports John Yoder, 50, died at Akron General Hospital last night from injuries suffered when the horse-drawn carriage he was driving was hit by a vehicle on Ashland County Road 500. The driver of the other vehicle, Douglas Church, 20, of Sullivan, was uninjured in the crash.

Charges have not been filed at this point against Church; troopers reported he was distracted when he hit Yoder's buggy and then failed to stop after the crash. Church's 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee was later recovered in Sullivan.

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(Ohio State Highway Patrol) Troopers from the Ashland Post of the Highway Patrol are investigating a hit-skip crash that has resulted in a fatality, on Ashland County Road 500 near township road 101.

John Yoder, 50, of Homerville died of his injuries last night suffered in the crash Monday evening. The driver of a vehicle traveling eastbound on CR 500 became distracted and drove into the rear of an Amish buggy. After the vehicle struck the buggy the vehicle continued eastbound on CR 500 failing to stop for the crash he had caused.

Utilizing the media to broadcast information on the hit-skip vehicle, a short time later a call was received at the Ashland Patrol Post advising the location of the vehicle in involved. Officers responded to a residence in Sullivan, Ohio and located the 2002 silver Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Yoder, age 50, of Homerville, Ohio. Mr. Yoder was transported to Lodi Community Hospital and later taken by MedFlight to Akron General Hospital in critical condition. Mr. Yoder succumbed to his injuries on May 16, 2013 at 6:40 PM.

The driver of the Jeep Cherokee, Douglas B. Church, age 20, of Sullivan, Ohio was not injured in the crash.

Personnel from the West Salem Fire Department and Ashland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene for assistance. The Ashland Patrol Post is working with the Ashland County Prosecutor’s office reviewing the case. No charges have been filed at this time.

Two juveniles were hurt as a result of a bicycle crash Saturday evening at State Route 82 and Colton Road in Portage County.

The Ohio Highway Patrol reports the two rode in the path of an 85-year-old Garrettsville woman around 6:25 p.m. Saturday. The Beacon Journal reports the woman was driving west on Route 82 when the pair of southbound cyclists entered her lane from Colton Road.

The patrol said traffic entering Route 82 from Colton Road has a stop sign, but traffic on Route 82 does not.

The newspaper reports both bicyclists were taken to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland following the crash. There is no word on their conditions, and their names and ages have not yet been released.

So far, no charges have been filed and the crash remains under investigation.

On the Web: www.ohio.com

 

Troopers are investigating a single-car crash early Sunday morning in Wayne County that killed one of the car's occupants.

The Wooster post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol says that 29 year-old Earnest Nelson of Orrville was driving a car that drifted off the right side of Church Road (County Road 7) east of State Route 94 at just after 5 AM Sunday.

The car struck a creek embankment then struck a tree before coming to rest.

Killed in the crash was 25 year-old Tremale Thomas of Wooster, a passenger in the car's back seat.

Nelson and a front seat passenger, 29 year-old Lance Almond, were treated and released from area hospitals.

It's not known if Thomas was wearing a seat belt, or how he died. Highway Patrol troopers are also investigating any possible use of drugs or alcohol in the crash.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol attributes a crackdown on drunken driving to the increase in arrests statewide last year.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that troopers in 2012 arrested 24,520 suspected drunken or impaired drivers, a 3 percent increase over 2011.

Also in 2012, crashes that involved drunken drivers totalled more than 12,100, a 14-percent increase over the previous year. In those crashes, 431 people were killed and more than 7,000 were injured.

Lieutenant  Bill Haymaker, commander of the Medina post of the State Highway Patrol tells AkronNews Now many of the accidents are being caused by repeat offenders. " It's a common thing to come across a person who is at their second or third or even more OVI offenses, in the last couple of years."

Haymaker says the Patrol has been stepping up it's enforcement. " We try to target those areas where drinkng and driving is more prevelant. We try to increase the number of troopers in those areas working together in a combined effort."

Haymaker says the Patrol is working more closely with surrounding city police departments to stop impaired drivers.

Lieutenant Haymaker says toiugher penalties, especially for repeat offenders, could help to discourage drinking and driving

The Patrol says drunken or impaired drivers were responsible for more than 40 percent of all fatal accidents in 2012.

As many students head back to school this week, law enforcement agencies are asking drivers to use extra caution.

Lt. William Weirtz with the Canton Post of the State Highway Patrol says he often hears complaints from bus drivers about drivers passing stopped school buses during school hours.

"That's not because they weren't aware of (the school bus). They are either in a hurry or they just, for some reason, decided to pass the bus," Weirtz said.

Weirtz says teen and adult drivers talking on the phone or texting is a major problem during the school year.

"That cell phone or text provides a hug distraction and we see a lot of that, unfortunately in the crashes we handle."

OSHP: Drivers Pay Attention, School Is Back In Session by Amani Abraham

He advises drivers to stay focused behind the wheel and resist the urge to text and drive.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol advises motorists to plan ahead and add a few minutes to their morning commute to make time for school bus stops.

Drivers should also watch out for children walking to and from the bus stop, especially when they are backing out of a driveway.

From 2009 through 2011, more than 4,300 Ohio motorists were cited for failing to stop for a school bus loading or unloading children.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash along Interstate 76 in Portage County on Saturday afternoon, at a rest area..

Troopers say the crash happened at just after 2 PM Saturday at the eastbound rest area of I-76 in Edinburg Township.

The patrol says 57 year-old Frank Shackelford of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin was pinned against another semi-tractor trailer by his own truck, which had been parked behind the other semi and then rolled forward.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the emergency brakes in Shackelford's truck had not been engaged.

The driver of the other truck wasn't injured, and wasn't in his cab at the time of the crash.

The full investigation continues.

Authorities have found a body inside a car registered to a missing Akron man in Trumbull County Tuesday.

Akron police reports a helicopter pilot spotted the car in a swampy area off of State Route 46, a few miles north of Interstate 80. The car was registered to Jorry Palm, 28, who was last seen at an Akron bar on June 9.

The Trumbull County Coroner's Office will conduct an autopsy today to determine the identity of the driver and the cause of death.

Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol believe the car was traveling at a high rate of speed when it went off the left side of the road and struck a large area of concrete debris.

Akron police Capt. Dan Zampelli says it appears Palm failed to maneuver around a turn, causing the vehicle to crash.

The crash remains under investigation.

Visit AkronNewsNow.com for the latest information.

Previous Coverage:

• Where's Jorry? Police Need Help Finding Missing Person

• Akron Police Seek Missing Adult

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More state troopers and local police are on the roads today through the weekend to look for impaired drivers celebrating the 4th.  

William Weirtz, commander of the Canton State Highway Patrol post, tells AkronNewsNow " We have 100% of our manpower scheduled out during that time and we also have additional federal funded overtime posted from 6am to 8pm, and then again fro 8pm to 4am. That's voluntary overtime which officers sign up for."

 Federal grants are being used to pay troopers overtime to work 12 hour shifts to beef up traffic enforcement

Weirtz says July 4th is a very busy day for troopers." Typically there's an increased number of OVI arrests made on the July 4th holiday, and the weekend before and after that, due to people planning events or parties or people being off work. We know that they are out," says Weirtz.

There will also be more Akron Police officers on patrol during July 4th and into the weekend to look for impaired and reckless drivers.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is looking into a fatal crash between a car and a semi-tractor trailer that happened early Saturday morning in Medina County.

The Patrol says 43 year-old Thomas McKenzie of Cleveland drove his car left of center on U.S. 42 just north of West Salem at about 3:30 a.m. and struck a tanker-trailer driven by 39 year-old Louis Kimberlin of Fostoria, which was heading in the other direction.

McKenzie was transported to Akron General Medical Center, and was pronounced dead.

Despite his truck overturning and catching fire, Kimberlin survived the crash with only minor injuries.

The Patrol says Kimberlin was wearing a seatbelt, and McKenzie was not...and that the car's driver was partially ejected from his vehicle.

The crash forced the closure of U.S. 42 in the area for a few hours.

The State Highway Patrol is awaiting blood results for McKenzie, and the crash is under investigation.

In an effort to keep the roadways safe, law enforcement officials will be out in full force looking for impaired drivers this Memorial Day weekend.

Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander says extra patrols will be out this weekend.

"There will be added enforcement out and if you are drinking and driving, you probably will be stopped," says Alexander.

Summit County Sheriff Drew Alexander by Akron NewsNow

Various agencies including the Sheriff's Department will have a visible presence on the roads for the weekend leading up to Memorial Day, which is statistically one of the biggest times for OVI arrests both locally and nationally.

Lt. William Weirtz of the Ohio State Highway Patrol says the more troopers will be out and about enforcing traffic laws as well.

"Starting Friday morning, we'll have additional units on the road which will give us an extra four to six units on the roadways," Weirtz explained.

Lieutenant William Weirtz of the Ohio State Highway Patrol by Akron NewsNow

That message should resonate with people who plan on having a couple drinks during the holiday weekend.

"We want people to be aware that we will be out enforcing the traffic laws here in Summit County," Sheriff Drew Alexander said.

Alexander explains his deputies have been trained to look for certain signs that could indicate a person could be impaired while driving.

"We train our deputies to look for obvious signs such as driving erratically, weaving in and out of traffic, road rage, and other signs," he explained.

"If they see people driving in this manner, they will be pulled over and officers will see what the problem is."

Lieutenant Weirtz says OVI arrests spike during holiday weekends, so troopers will look for impaired drivers during all hours of the day.

Statistics show OVI-related crashes resulted in 401 deaths in 2011.

Both Alexander and Weirtz say that if you are planning to drink this holiday weekend, designate a sober driver, or call a cab to take you home.