Rainy conditions, speed and an oily substance on the roadway are all being examined as possible contributing factors, troopers said.
Patrick Smith, 65, of South Vienna, was killed when his vehicle was struck head-on just east of Buena Vista Road at about 8 a.m.
According to their initial investigation, troopers said 24-year-old Jessica Winters was driving a 2007 Chrysler eastbound on Old Columbus when she lost control and went left of center, colliding with a 2012 Nissan Sentra driven by Smith.
“The victim in the Sentra was seat-belted, but because of the compartment intrusion, subsequently died from the impact,” Springfield Post commander Lt. Brian Aller said.
Winters suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Troopers will interview her and examine both vehicles to determine how fast they were travelling in the 55 mph zone.
It was raining at the time of the crash and the road appeared to have an oil slick nearby that might have contributed to the crash, Aller said.
“Speed limit through here is 55 mph, and I don’t think that’s unacceptable,” Aller said. “But 55 mph is in optimal conditions. At the time of the crash it was raining and the roads are slick and wet; 55 is not the speed to go. You need to slow down when it’s raining. And you need to slow down on curves as well.”
Aller called Old Columbus road a “hot spot” for crashes and said troopers have targeted speed enforcement there.
“We have it up on the board. Always hit Columbus Road because we’ve had a lot of fatals out here for some reason,” he said.
In May of 2014, Larry Hall, 36, of South Vienna, died when a turning vehicle pulled in front of his motorcycle at the intersection of Old Columbus and Bowman roads in Harmony Twp.
The responsible driver, Brittany Jo Johnson, 23, of Springfield, was ordered to serve 90 days in jail on a charge of vehicular manslaughter in December.
In February, 28-year-old Jessica Crim, of Springfield, was killed in a one-vehicle crash on Old Columbus just west of Bowman. Her brother Daniel Crim was driving the car and was critically injured.
And in April, Tristin Sherman, 18, a senior at Springfield High School, and Juan Compton, 21, were killed and two other teens injured in a crash just west of where Old Columbus Road becomes Columbus Avenue, heading into the city of Springfield.
The driver, 19-year-old Angel Rojas fled after the car hit a utility pole, but was later captured. He’s in the Clark County Jail on charges of leaving the scene of an accident and driving on a suspended license.
UPDATE @ 11:20 a.m.
Troopers are looking into possible causes of a deadly head-on crash on Old Columbus Road this morning, the fourth fatal crash on that stretch of road in less than two years.
According to an initial investigation, a female in her 20s was driving a 2007 Chrysler eastbound on Old Columbus near Buena Vista Road when she lost control of the vehicle and went left of center.
She collided head-on with a 2012 Nissan Sentra driven by a man in his 60s.
“The victim in the Sentra was seat-belted, but because of the compartment intrusion, subsequently died from the impact,” Lt. Brian Aller commander of the Ohio State Highway Patrol Springfield Post said.
The female was transported to a local hospital with unknown injuries.
Troopers will interview her and examine both vehicles to determine how fast they were traveling in the 55 mph speed zone.
Aller said it was raining at the time of the crash and there appears to be an oil slick on the roadway nearby which may have contributed to the crash. A county work crew was called to put down some gravel so other cars don’t slip on the oil.
The name of the deceased has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
Aller called Old Columbus a “hot spot” for crashes.
“We have it up on the board. Always hit Columbus Road because we’ve had a lot of fatals out here for some reason,” he said. “Speed limit through here is 55 mph, and I don’t think that’s unacceptable. But 55 mph is in optimal conditions. At the time of the crash it was raining and the roads are slick and wet. 55 is not the speed to go. You need to slow down when it’s raining. And you need to slow down on curves as well.”
UPDATE @ 10:54 a.m.
Old Columbus Road will remain shut down for another two to three hours, according to OSHP Springfield Post.
The county engineer’s office was called to the scene because of damage to the road, according to OSHP.
UPDATE @ 10 a.m.
A man in his 60s was killed in the crash, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Springfield Post.
A woman in her 20s was driving the white vehicle. The trooper said the white vehicle went left of center and caused the accident.
UPDATE @ 9:40 a.m.
Authorities at the scene confirm one person was killed in the crash.
Old Columbus Road remains shut down pending the investigation.
UPDATE @ 9:09 a.m.
Two people were transported to hospital, one from each vehicle iinvolved, according to an officer at the scene.
Old Columbus Road is blocked to traffic while crews investigate and clean up.
Careflight was requested to the scene but was unable to fly because of the weather.
EARLIER
Old Columbus Road is blocked after a two-vehicle crash was reported shortly before 8 a.m.
Scanner traffic indicated one person was entrapped in one of the vehicles.
We have a photographer en route and will provide updates as more information becomes available.