Monday, March 5th, 2007
Investigation continues into accident in which Celina man dies
By Margie Wuebker
A rural Celina man was killed Friday night when his car traveled off state Route 219 near Coldwater and struck a telephone pol e. The one-vehicle crash occurred at 8:54 p.m. near Coldwater Creek Road, according to Mercer County Sheriff's Office reports.
Todd D. Homan, 22, 305 state Route 29, was pronounced dead at the scene by Mercer County Coroner Dr. Timothy Heinrichs.
Mark Myers, 15, 8080 U.S. 127, Celina, the lone passenger in his uncle's 2005 Dodge Neon, was taken by ambulance to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater. He was released following emergency room treatment.
A caller reported the accident to 911, saying a vehicle had gone off the road and the driver did not appear to be breathing.
Deputies continue to investigate the accident, which occurred when Homan's eastbound vehicle traveled off the left side of the road and struck a utility pole before coming to rest in a nearby field. The Neon was traveling at an estimated 80 miles per hour, according to sheriff's office reports.
Deputies continue to investigate incidents immediately preceding the accident, which may have led to Homan's car leaving the road. At 10:02 p.m., they issued bulletins seeking a 1999 or 2000 red Ford Mustang that apparently left the scene before authorities arrived. A search warrant was issued through Celina Municipal Court at 11:50 p.m. for the car that is reportedly registered to a Coldwater resident.
"We are still investigating this accident," Sheriff Jeff Grey told The Daily Standard. "Right now there are too many variations of what happened."
Deputies were assisted at the scene by Coldwater firefighters and Mercer County Prosecutor Andy Hinders. The sheriff noted the prosecutor's presence at a fatal accident is not unusual.
The traffic fatality marks the second in Mercer County in 2007.
Homan, the son of Daniel and Brenda (Pearson) Homan, was a 2004 graduate of Coldwater High School and an employee of Francis Manufacturing in Russia.
Joannie Bruns of Celina describes her only brother as "an easygoing and hard working young man who had paid off everything he owed with the exception of the car he loved ." The youngest of five children, he loved spending time with nine nieces and nephews.
"I talked to Todd on the phone about 6:30 Friday night," Bruns said. "He had planned to take my son (10-year-old Hayden Bruns) to a movie, but those plans changed when he drove home from work with someone else."
Homan rescheduled the movie outing to Sunday and told his sister he and Myers were going to a friend's house to throw darts and compete in PlayStation 2 games.
"I saw Todd a week ago when we went skiing in Bellefontaine," she says. "We had such a wonderful time. It is hard to believe he is gone."
A diehard NASCAR fan, he often traveled to races in Michigan and Bristol, Tenn. He initially followed Dale Earnhardt until the legendary race car driver died in a crash and then transferred his allegiance to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne. He also enjoyed attending Columbus Blue Jacket hockey games.
