An early-morning head-on collision on U.S. 36 near milepost 12 in Coshocton County left one man dead and another injured Friday, bringing troopers and emergency crews to the stretch of highway near Warsaw while investigators worked the scene through the morning.
According to WHIZ, which cited the Zanesville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a westbound 2005 Saturn Ion driven by 41-year-old Steven R. Husk Jr. of Warsaw went left of center and struck an eastbound 2016 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 driven by 76-year-old Charles W. Litten, also of Warsaw. Troopers were dispatched to the scene at 6:14 a.m. Friday and described the collision as head-on.
Husk Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WHIZ. Litten, the driver of the Silverado, was transported to Genesis Coshocton Medical Center with injuries described as not life-threatening. The hospital lists its emergency department at 48439 Genesis Drive in Coshocton, where crash victims from the area are typically evaluated and treated.
Why Head-On Crashes on Rural Highways Are So Often Deadly
Cross-centerline and head-on collisions on undivided rural two-lane roads are disproportionately severe, federal research shows. Studies from the Federal Highway Administration and analysis published in the National Academies' TR News note that roadway-departure and centerline-crossing crashes account for a large share of rural traffic fatalities, and that engineering fixes such as center turn lanes and rumble strips can reduce crash risk.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is handling the investigation and has not released additional details about contributing factors. Anyone with information or video from the area is asked to contact the Zanesville Post of the Highway Patrol, and officials have said they will update the public as more information becomes available.
