According to a release, the Warren County Communication Center issued an alert for police to be on the lookout for a wrong-way driver on Route 48. Seven minutes later, the crash happened.
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The highway patrol investigation found that Ridenour was driving a white 2003 Chevrolet S-10 southbound while in the northbound lanes of Route 48, just south of Main Street in Lebanon.
A 2006 silver Saturn Ion, driven by Seth Meintel, 19, of Lebanon, was traveling north on Route 48.
The two vehicles crashed head-on.
Rescue crews had to use mechanical means to rescue Meintel from his vehicle, and took him to Miami Valley Hospital with severe injuries. Ridenour was pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of the crash is still unknown, although the highway patrol said that alcohol and drugs didn’t appear to be a factor.
Highway patrol troopers were assisted on scene by the Warren County Coroner’s Office, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office and the Lebanon police and fire departments.
UPDATE @ 2:05 a.m.:
One person is dead and another is in the hospital after a crash on the state Route 48 bypass, according to highway patrol records.
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Our crew on the scene reported that the crash involved a sedan and a pickup truck, and highway patrol dispatchers also confirmed that the truck was the one mentioned driving the wrong way in reports prior to the crash.
The condition of the second victim is unknown, as is whether the truck was traveling the wrong way when the crash occurred.
INITIAL REPORT:
At least one person is dead following a head-on crash late Monday night that reportedly involved a wrong-way driver.
The two-vehicle crash was reported around 11:40 p.m. at the Route 48 bypass near the Main Street exit in Lebanon, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Lebanon Post.
The northbound lanes of the bypass were shut down following the collision.
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Just before the crash, there were reports of a pickup truck traveling the wrong way.
The Warren County Sheriff’s Office and Lebanon police and fire departments also responded to the scene, the highway patrol said.
We have a crew on the way and will update this report.
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