A tight-knit Ohio community is in mourning after a tragic crash claimed the lives of five individuals on Sunday morning in Goshen Township. The collision occurred at the intersection of State Route 28 and Edenton Pleasant Plain Road. A memorial has been steadily growing at the site, with residents leaving flowers, balloons, and messages to honor the deceased: Mathew Penny, 25, Chloe Love, 19, Dezmen Jernigan, 18, Dustin McDole, 43, and Andrea Iery, 41. According to WCPO, another passenger, an 18-year-old, survived the accident and is currently in critical condition.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol has yet to determine the cause of a crash involving a 2005 Chrysler 300 driven by Penny and a Subaru Legacy driven by McDole. The aftermath has left the families grappling with unexpected goodbyes and pleas for public support. In a statement obtained by FOX19, Dezmen Jernigan's mother, Jeri, remarked, "To know that Dezmen had so many people that loved him and cared about him and miss him just as much as we do." His sister, Destiny, recounted the harrowing night, unable to find answers until the terrible news was confirmed.
Family members of the victims have been sharing their memories and love for those lost. Jeri Jernigan described her son Dezmen as someone who "could make you laugh" in any bad situation or mood. Close to graduating from high school, Dezmen's family is now faced with the task of arranging his funeral instead, with a GoFundMe set up to aid in transporting his body back to their home state of Alabama. As reported by WCPO, the family of Chloe Love also seeks to continue her passion for helping children, planning to donate her last paycheck and funds raised to the cause she cared for deeply.
Matthew Penny, who lost his life in the accident, was remembered by his brother Mike as someone more than just family but also an indispensable part of his car repair garage. "Everybody knows that. Everyone who knows me, knows my brother. He was here. He was my shadow,” Mike Penny told WLWT. Friends of Dezmen Jernigan, remembering him, showed their matching tattoos and expressed plans to get more to honor him, with one friend denoting how Jernigan also had one of the tattoos.
