Monday, November 19th, 2007
Wapak woman dies; St. Marys woman hurt
By Shelley Grieshop
A 40-year-old Wapakoneta woman was killed and her toddler injured Saturday when her SUV was rear-ended by a speeding car on U.S. 33 near Wapakoneta.
Pronounced dead at the scene was Heather J. Schaub, who was ejected from her SUV after it skidded across the median and overturned into the opposite lane of traffic on the four-lane highway.
Schaub's son, Fletcher, also was injured and taken to St. Rita's Hospital, Lima, where he was dismissed on Sunday.
The second driver, Alissa L. Townsend, 48, of St. Marys, was treated then released at Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, St. Marys.
Witnesses to the fatal crash, which took place at 12:50 p.m., said Townsend was traveling more than 90 mph when the accident occurred. Troopers with the Wapakoneta post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol suspect alcohol played a role in the crash.
The report said Schaub was driving a 2000 Honda CRV eastbound on U.S. 33 near County Road 33A, reportedly on her way home from grocery shopping, when her vehicle was struck in the rear by Townsend's 2005 Nissan Sentra. Schaub lost control of the SUV, which overturned into the westbound lane, coming to rest on the berm with extensive damage.
Trooper Bob Hoelscher said Townsend told authorities she was on her way to Columbus where a relative reportedly lives.
Schaub, an administrative secretary for the city of Wapakoneta, was not wearing a seat belt, however, her child was buckled into a child seat.
No citations have yet been issued and the crash remains under investigation.
Schaub, the wife of Russell W., was a graduate of Wapakoneta High School and Northwestern Business College, Lima, and held a bachelor's degree from Tiffin University.
An obituary for Schaub appears on page 5A.
Her death marks the fifth traffic fatality in Auglaize County this year.
