A 91-year-old Eaton woman died Tuesday evening after the car she was riding in went off a curve on Fisher-Twin Road in Preble County and slammed into a tree. The driver and a front-seat passenger, both 83, survived the crash and were taken to a hospital.
The crash happened around 6:41 p.m. on Tuesday, according to WHIO TV. The Ohio State Highway Patrol found that a 2003 Honda CR-V was traveling westbound when it went off the roadway at a curve, crossed through a yard, and struck a tree, the station reported.
The rear-seat passenger, identified as Chie Demeter of Eaton, was pronounced dead at the scene by medics, per the same report. The driver and front-seat passenger, both 83 years old, were transported to the hospital following the crash.
A Second Fatal Crash in Preble County This Year
Tuesday's wreck marks at least the second fatal crash in Preble County in recent months. On August 30, a westbound 2012 Ford F250 pickup struck a 2005 Cadillac Escalade on West Dayton Street near Voge Street in West Alexandria, according to My County Link.
That crash killed 80-year-old Donna Tubesing of West Alexandria, who was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband, 80-year-old Kenton Tubesing, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton with serious injuries. Investigators in that case suspected impaired driving was a factor, the outlet reported. No cause has been attributed to the Fisher-Twin Road crash in the available reporting.
Roadway Departures Remain a Leading Factor Statewide
Ohio's fatal crash numbers have been trending downward in recent years. The state recorded 1,037 fatal crashes in 2025, a 3.7% decrease from the 1,077 reported in 2024, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
From 2021 through 2025, Ohio saw 5,668 total fatal crashes, while serious-injury crashes fell from 6,405 in 2021 to 5,945 last year, the Dispatch reported. Over that same five-year span, driving off the roadway accounted for 26% of all fatal crashes statewide — the single largest contributing factor identified in the data.
Official findings on exactly what caused the Honda CR-V to leave Fisher-Twin Road have not been released. The Ohio Department of Public Safety's online crash retrieval system notes that the reports it publishes are not official documents and are submitted only for statistical purposes, directing anyone seeking the official report or supplemental investigative materials to contact the agency that investigated the crash.
