WINDSOR TOWNSHIP —
A three-vehicle crash resulted in nine injuries and four people flown by helicopter to hospitals Friday afternoon on Route 322.
“A dump truck was facing eastbound to turn into a private driveway on Route 322. A minivan was westbound on Route 322 approaching the dump truck,” said Sgt. Troy Sexton of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He said the call came in around 3:42 p.m.
“The third vehicle (a pickup truck) was eastbound coming up behind the dump truck,” Sexton said. He said Ryan Minick, 21, of Orwell, was driving the third vehicle (with three passengers) and failed to maintain an assured clear distance and swerved, hit the dump truck and ran head on into the westbound van,” Sexton said.
The van was driven by Joshua Robinson, 27, of Newton Falls, and had four passengers, Sexton said.
Joseph Starcovic, 53, of Orwell was driving the dump truck and was uninjured, Sexton said.
All five people in the van were injured, one seriously, and all four people in the pickup truck were injured, three seriously, Sexton said.
Two of the people injured in the pickup truck are juveniles and Sexton said he was not able to release the names of any other victims at this time.
Sexton said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the crash but the lack of seat belt usage appears to have resulted in some of the injuries. He said nobody was ejected from the vehicle but firefighters did remove a door of one of the vehicles to help rescue victims and prepped for transport by ambulance or helicopter.
Four helicopters were called to the scene near Easton Excavation at milepost 13 on Route 322, Sexton said. He said two were able to land at approximately the same time followed by two more.
“There was a property that (the owners) allowed us to use,” Sexton said.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve had four helicopters,” Sexton said.
Captain Shane Gregory of the Orwell Fire Department said a variety of area departments responded to the scene with ambulances including South Central Ambulance, Orwell Fire Department, Windsor Fire Department, Andover Fire Department, Johnson Fire Department and Kinsman Fire Department.
Sexton said there have been no charges filed and the crash is still under investigation by OHP.
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