A head-on crash on State Route 159 in Green Township sent two people to the hospital late Monday night, with a 51-year-old Chillicothe man suffering serious injuries severe enough to require a medical flight to Grant Medical Center. The wreck shut down the southbound lanes for roughly three hours while Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers worked the scene near Clayburne Boulevard in Ross County.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, a 2015 Kia Sorento was traveling northeast on State Route 159 when it was struck head-on by a 2019 Ford F-150. The Kia was driven by 17-year-old Merissa Smallridge, of Laurelville, as reported by the Scioto Valley Guardian. The Ford F-150 was driven by 44-year-old Benjamin Beechler of Chillicothe, with 51-year-old Christopher Compher, also of Chillicothe, riding as a passenger.
Passenger Flown for Treatment
Compher sustained serious injuries in the crash and was first taken to Adena Regional Medical Center before being flown to Grant Medical Center, the patrol's account states. Beechler, who was driving the truck, sustained only minor injuries and was treated at the scene rather than transported to a hospital.
Smallridge, the teenage driver of the Kia, was taken to Adena Regional Medical Center with minor injuries and later transferred to Children's Hospital, per the Scioto Valley Guardian's reporting. No further details on her condition, or on what led up to the collision, have been released.
Road Closed for Hours, Cause Still Unclear
Troopers closed the southbound lanes of State Route 159 for about three hours while they investigated the crash site, according to the patrol's account relayed by Fox 28. As of Tuesday morning, the crash remained under investigation, and no cause, citations, or fault determination had been made public.
A serious crash on State Route 159 in Ross County occurred about 15 months before the October 26, 2026, collision. On July 17, 2025, a two-vehicle wreck in neighboring Springfield Township left one driver with serious injuries after a Chevrolet S-10 failed to yield while turning onto Hopetown Road and was struck by a Ford F-650, according to the Scioto Post. That driver was also flown to Grant Medical Center via MedFlight, while the other motorist was treated at the scene with minor injuries, and the northbound lanes were closed for about an hour during that response.
