“He took one hell of a hit,” said Detective Jerry Mossman. “The chief is a lucky man today.”
Schwarber said late Friday that he is “fine, but sore.
“There are not broken bones. I just hope everyone is OK,” he said, adding he was wearing his seat belt. “Thank God.”
Mossman said Schwarber was traveling south on University about 6:10 p.m. when Harp’s northbound van went across a grassy median, hit a Dodge Durango SUV, continued spinning and hit Schwarber’s vehicle.
The van then continued several hundred yards and hit a Saturn at the intersection of Logan Avenue, Mossman said.
“At this point we are investigating this as two separate accidents,” Mossman said. He added that it appears Harp drove away from the first crash scene.
Schwarber said Bobby Smith, 32, of Trenton, was driving the Durango. He had three passengers, Jennifer Smith, 30, Brooke Smith, 10, and Bobby Jr., 7.
According to police there were three passengers in Harp’s van: Kaitlyn Borkowski, 7, William Borkowski, 42, and Matt Borkowski, 11.
Information about the driver of the Saturn was not available Friday from police.
Harp has been charged with failure to control and not assuring a clear distance, but more charges are expected, Mossman said.
She was cited in December for speeding when she was traveling 52 mph in a 25 mph speed zone.
Her husband, Billy Harp Sr., was arrested in May on charges of child endangering and no child restraint when their toddler son fell out of the van and police found he was not in a secure child seat. The van Rachel Harp was driving Thursday night is the same one from which the child fell, according to police.
At least eight people — including Schwarber — were transported to Atrium Medical Center in Middletown; none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2168 or lpack@coxohio.com.
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