A 41-year-old Caledonia man is dead after the pickup truck he was driving left a rural Marion County road, struck a tree and overturned multiple times Friday evening. James R. Schilling III was pronounced dead from his injuries at the crash scene near Township Road 10 and Township Road 71.
According to Shelby News Reporter, the crash happened Friday evening at about 6:10 p.m. A preliminary investigation found that Schilling had been driving a 2010 Dodge Ram eastbound on Township Road 10 when the truck left the left side of the roadway twice during the crash sequence before striking the tree and rolling over.
Multiple Agencies Responded to the Scene
The Ohio State Highway Patrol's Marion post is leading the investigation into what caused the truck to leave the roadway. The patrol reported receiving assistance at the scene from the Morrow County Sheriff's Office, Morrow County EMS, 1st Consolidated Fire and EMS, Precision Auto Repair & Towing, and the Marion County Coroner's Office, the same report notes.
Schilling, a resident of Caledonia, died from his injuries at the location where the truck came to rest. No further details on the circumstances that led the Dodge Ram to leave the roadway twice before the fatal impact have been released as the investigation continues.
Crash Reports Carry Limits, State Says
Any publicly available version of the crash report should be treated with caution. The Ohio Department of Public Safety says records in its online crash retrieval system are not official documents and were submitted only for statistical purposes, directing anyone who needs the official report or supplemental investigative materials to contact the agency that investigated the crash — in this case, the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Marion post.
Friday's fatality comes against a backdrop of modest improvement in Ohio's road safety numbers. Preliminary data cited by the Office of the Governor of Ohio show statewide traffic fatalities fell about 3% in 2025 compared with 2024, a difference of 32 lives. The Ohio State Highway Patrol also maintains a statewide and county statistics dashboard that tracks crash activity against the same period the year before.
The investigation into Friday's crash remains active, and no additional findings have been released beyond the preliminary details reported so far.
