A Sunday evening drive in Violet Township turned deadly when a 79-year-old woman was thrown from a vehicle during a two-car crash on Pickerington Road near Refugee Road in Fairfield County. The collision, just after 5 p.m., left at least three people injured and shut down the roadway as troopers and emergency crews worked the scene.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the woman as Marcella Hoover, 79, of Reynoldsburg. She was rushed to Grant Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead, according to NBC4, which cited the patrol. That report says Hoover was riding in a Ford and was ejected during the impact. Troopers said she was not wearing a seat belt.
What troopers say
According to troopers, a Dodge was heading south on Pickerington Road just after 5 p.m. when it collided with a Ford that was trying to turn left into a private driveway across the southbound lane. The force of the crash threw the passenger from the Ford.
Both drivers were taken to area hospitals and listed in stable condition, and another person also suffered injuries as the investigation continued.
Seat belts and ejection risk
Investigators noted that the passenger was not belted, a detail they say often turns a bad crash into a devastating one when someone is thrown from a vehicle. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety points out that people who are ejected in a crash are far more likely to be killed and that lap-and-shoulder belts sharply cut that risk, according to IIHS.
Local crash history
Pickerington Road near Refugee Road shows up on county maps as a high-crash location, underscoring how turning traffic and regional volumes can create risky conflict points along the corridor, as reflected in the county's crash-analysis map. Local planners and engineers use those maps when deciding where to focus safety upgrades on the route.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the wreck, and anyone with information is urged to contact their local post. NBC4 reported that troopers later reopened the roadway and that authorities had not released any further information about possible charges.
