A 40-year-old Laurelville man died Friday morning after his car crossed the center line on State Route 104 and slammed head-on into a pickup truck, trapping both drivers inside their vehicles as a small fire broke out at the scene. The crash happened just north of Commercial Point Road in Jackson Township, Pickaway County, before sunrise.
Emergency dispatchers received the first 911 calls at 6:32 a.m. Friday, with callers reporting that one of the vehicles appeared to be on fire, according to Scioto Post. James E. Terry III, 40, of Laurelville, was driving a gray 2009 Nissan Versa southbound on Route 104 when his car crossed left of center and struck a white 2016 Ford F-150 traveling northbound, driven by 41-year-old Donald H. Smith of Williamsport.
Crews Battled Fire While Freeing Trapped Drivers
By the time firefighters and paramedics arrived, the small fire had already been extinguished, but both drivers remained trapped in the wreckage. Crews from Harrison Township and Scioto Township Fire and EMS used extrication equipment to free both men from their vehicles, per the same account from Scioto Post.
Harrison Township EMS transported both drivers to Grant Medical Center in Columbus. Terry was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, while Smith remained hospitalized for treatment, the report notes. Grant Medical Center is the busiest Level I Trauma Center in Ohio and receives thousands of trauma patients each year, according to OhioHealth EMS.
The Columbus Dispatch also reported on the crash Friday, citing the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office in confirming that a Hocking County man died at a hospital following the fiery collision, according to The Columbus Dispatch. A second driver was reported injured in the crash.
A Familiar Hazard on a High-Risk Corridor
Under Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.29, drivers are barred from crossing into oncoming lanes unless that side of the road is clearly visible and free of approaching traffic. In this crash, Terry's vehicle crossed left of center.
State Route 104 has a documented history of serious left-of-center collisions. In September 2020, a head-on crash near the Franklin-Pickaway county line killed a 22-year-old female driver, the local law firm Sabol Mallory reported at the time. State Route 104, U.S. Route 23, and State Route 56 have each been mentioned in road- and crash-related contexts.
Statewide, driving off the roadway accounted for roughly 26 percent of Ohio's 5,668 fatal crashes between 2021 and 2025, according to Highway Patrol figures cited by attorneys Kruger & Hodges. That trend underscores why rural stretches like the one north of Commercial Point Road remain a persistent concern for local law enforcement.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, from 2021-2025, there were 5,668 fatal crashes on Ohio roadways.
Investigation Continues Into Cause
The crash remains under active investigation by the Pickaway County Sheriff's Office, with assistance from Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers. Investigators have not yet released conclusions about what caused Terry's vehicle to cross the center line, including whether speed or impairment played a role.
The collision follows a fatal US 23 crash near South Bloomfield in June. As the investigation continues, no further details on citations or contributing factors have been made public.
