Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued March 22 at 5:43PM EDT until March 23 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH (details ...)

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 73 IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS
IN INDIANA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 8 COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL INDIANA
FAYETTE UNION WAYNE
IN SOUTHEAST INDIANA
DEARBORN FRANKLIN OHIO RIPLEY SWITZERLAND
IN KENTUCKY THIS WATCH INCLUDES 3 COUNTIES
IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY
BOONE CAMPBELL KENTON
IN OHIO THIS WATCH INCLUDES 32 COUNTIES
IN CENTRAL OHIO
DELAWARE FAIRFIELD FAYETTE FRANKLIN HOCKING LICKING MADISON PICKAWAY UNION
IN SOUTH CENTRAL OHIO
ADAMS HIGHLAND PIKE ROSS SCIOTO
IN SOUTHWEST OHIO
BROWN BUTLER CLERMONT CLINTON HAMILTON WARREN
IN WEST CENTRAL OHIO
AUGLAIZE CHAMPAIGN CLARK DARKE GREENE HARDIN LOGAN MERCER MIAMI MONTGOMERY PREBLE SHELBY
THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ABERDEEN, ADA, ALEXANDRIA, AURORA, BATESVILLE, BEAVERCREEK, BELLEFONTAINE, BELLEVUE, BLANCHESTER, BRIGHT, BROOKVILLE, BURLINGTON, CAMDEN, CELINA, CHILLICOTHE, CIRCLEVILLE, COLDWATER, CONNERSVILLE, COVINGTON, DAY HEIGHTS, DAYTON, DELAWARE, DILLSBORO, DOWNTOWN CINCINNATI, DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS, DOWNTOWN DAYTON, EATON, ERLANGER, FAIRBORN, FAIRFIELD, FLORENCE, FORT THOMAS, FRANKLIN, GEORGETOWN, GREENDALE, GREENFIELD, GREENVILLE, HAMILTON, HIDDEN VALLEY, HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, HILLSBORO, INDEPENDENCE, KENTON, KETTERING, LANCASTER, LANDEN, LAWRENCEBURG, LEBANON, LIBERTY, LOGAN, LONDON, MANCHESTER, MARYSVILLE, MASON, MIDDLETOWN, MILAN, MILFORD, MINSTER, MOUNT CARMEL, MOUNT ORAB, MOUNT REPOSE, MULBERRY, NEW BREMEN, NEWARK, NEWPORT, OAKBROOK, OSGOOD, OXFORD, PEEBLES, PICKERINGTON, PIKE LAKE, PIKETON, PIQUA, PLAIN CITY, PORTSMOUTH, RICHMOND, RIPLEY, RISING SUN, SEAMAN, SIDNEY, SPRINGBORO, SPRINGFIELD, ST. MARYS, SUMMERSIDE, TIPP CITY, TROY, URBANA, VERSAILLES, VEVAY, WAPAKONETA, WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, WAVERLY, WEST COLLEGE CORNER, WEST JEFFERSON, WEST UNION, WHEELERSBURG, WILMINGTON, WINCHESTER, WITHAMSVILLE, AND XENIA.

Thursday, August 16th, 2007

Health problem may have led to Minster fatal crash

By Shelley Grieshop

A previous medical condition may have caused the death of a 48-year-old Dayton man who was killed in a three-vehicle crash in downtown Minster on Wednesday.

Pronounced dead at the scene was Richard M. Ferry Jr., the driver and lone occupant of a 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan, which was traveling northbound on state Route 66 at the state Route 119 intersection at 6:39 p.m.

Ferry's van struck the rear of a 2007 Lincoln Escalade, driven by Shawn Dancer of Delphos, which was stopped at the stop light at the busy intersection near Bud's Pizza. The impact pushed the SUV into a 2000 Dodge Intrepid driven by Kristina Stang of Fort Loramie.

Dancer and his passenger, Kurt Gordon, 30, also of Delphos, were treated then released at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys, for minor injuries.

Stang and her children, Sara, 8, and Chloe, 6, did not claim injury.

Ferry was the only person involved in the crash that was not wearing a seat belt, according to the report from the Wapakoneta post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP). Air bags did not deploy on any of the vehicles and typically don't in low-speed crashes, according to the OSHP.

Auglaize County Coroner Dr. Thomas Freytag told The Daily Standard this morning that he suspects Ferry may have died from "some sort of natural event," rather than injuries sustained from the crash.

"He had an abrasion on his head but it was insignificant," Freytag said. "He didn't appear to have suffered from trauma."

Freytag noted that Ferry had a partially-open abdominal wound that likely was the result of a recent surgery. Complications from the surgery, a heart problem or a number of other medical conditions could have caused Ferry's death prior to the collision, Freytag said.

An autopsy is pending and Freytag said he hopes to have the preliminary results later today. Alcohol and drug tests also were being performed as a routine step in accidents such as this, Freytag added.

If the investigation reveals that Ferry's death was not caused by the crash, it will not be recorded as an Auglaize County traffic fatality. To date, the county has recorded just one traffic death, 59-year-old Robert Kantner of St. Marys, who was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle on state Route 197 near Buckland.

Wednesday's crash remains under investigation by the local OSHP.

Archive of August 16th, 2007

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Four clubs fined for smoking

Fines have been issued to four local veterans' clubs and lodges that reportedly continue to violate the new smoking ban approved by Ohio voters nine months ago. [More]

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Celina girls golf sets school record

Compiled by Ryan Hines
and Gary R. Rasberry

The Celina girls golf team shot a school record score on Wednesday and it helped the Bulldogs finish fifth at the Greenville Invitational.