The Greenon Local School District grief counselors and representatives from several area churches were on call Monday to offer counseling services to area students, said Rev. Bruce Kramer, pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Enon.
“The Greenon family is deeply saddened by the loss of one of our students, sixth grader Sophia Gruber, and the injury of her younger sister, Olivia,” school officials said in a Facebook post. “Sophia will be dearly missed at Indian Valley and we extend our thoughts and prayers to Olivia and all of their family and friends.”
Kramer declined to further discuss the crash or the Gruber family, but he said the family was well-respected locally.
“It’s a full outreach from the total community and all the churches here because they were active in the community and the after-school Sonshine Club program here,” Kramer said.
Brinda Gruber, 54, the driver of the Gruber’s car at the time of the crash, was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries and has been released, troopers said. Olivia Gruber, 10, was last listed in serious condition at Children’s Hospital in Dayton, they added.
Lewis Chambers, 54, of Springfield, was the driver of a Ford Explorer SUV that struck the Gruber family’s Ford Taurus from behind, troopers said.
A crash reconstruction team continues to investigate the crash. There were no visible skid marks on the roadway Monday. Lt. Brian Aller of the state patrol said he isn’t a crash specialist, but the lack of brake marks on the roadway could mean Chambers didn’t slow down before his vehicle crashed into the Gruber’s car.
Chambers has an operating a vehicle intoxicated charge from 2002, according to Clark County Municipal Court records. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, but for an unknown reason, the warrant was never put into the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System, Aller said.
Chambers declined to comment on the advice of his lawyer, he said Monday.
Troopers will work with the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office to determine if criminal charges will be filed in the crash, Aller said. Even if blood and urine alcohol tests — which were collected from Chambers as he was treated at Soin Medical Center after the crash — come back with a BAC over the legal limit, it is likely prosecutors will wait to make sure which criminal charges they could seek, Aller said.
He said he has asked that the crash investigation be put as a high priority at the crime lab.
“It will be investigated as thoroughly and as quickly as possible,” Aller said.
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