Ward was headed south on Olive Road in a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze when he went through a red light around 9:40 p.m. July 15 at the Little Richmond Road intersection, investigators allege. He struck a Mazda CX-9 driven by Leah Smith, 35, of Dayton who was headed east on Little Richmond Road with her 3-year-old son in the car, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
The crash killed Smith and injured her young son. Ward suffered serious injuries, and his two 18-year-old passengers — Michael Stephens and Elgin Wilson — also died in the wreck.
Stephens, known as “Big Mike,” played on Trotwood-Madison High School’s 2019 state championship football team, was a 2020 Trotwood-Madison graduate and was set to play at Ohio Dominican.
Alcohol or drugs were not factors in the crash, the OSHP investigation determined.
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