A 97-year-old woman and her 66-year-old son are dead after their car was struck from behind, forced off the road and flipped multiple times on a rural Darke County highway Monday morning. Rita M. Goubeaux died at the scene, while Kenneth E. Goubeaux, who was driving, was flown to a Dayton-area hospital where he later died.
Darke County deputies, along with Osgood Rescue, Osgood Fire, Versailles Rescue and CareFlight, were dispatched at approximately 9:05 a.m. Monday to the 8300 block of North Star-Fort Loramie Road, according to Mercer County Outlook. Responders found a two-vehicle crash with serious injuries just outside the small community of Osgood.
How the Crash Unfolded
A black 2014 Dodge Charger driven by 20-year-old Michael J. Miller of Union City, Indiana, was traveling eastbound on North Star-Fort Loramie Road when it struck another eastbound vehicle traveling in the same lane, the outlet reports. That second vehicle, a blue 2007 Chevrolet Aveo driven by 66-year-old Kenneth E. Goubeaux of Osgood, was forced across the centerline and off the left side of the roadway.
The Aveo overturned multiple times, ejecting both Kenneth Goubeaux and his front-seat passenger, Rita M. Goubeaux, 97, also of Osgood, according to the same report from the Mercer County outlet. Rita Goubeaux was pronounced deceased at the scene. Kenneth Goubeaux was transported by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased, per the site's account.
Driver Treated and Released
Michael Miller, the driver of the Dodge Charger, was treated and released at the scene, the outlet notes. As first reported by The Daily Advocate, the crash drew a heavy multi-agency response given the severity of the injuries involved.
The Darke County Sheriff's Office Accident Reconstruction Team and a Darke County Coroner's Office investigator were called to the scene to assist with the investigation, the report states. The crash remains under investigation by the Darke County Sheriff's Office, and it has not been established what caused the vehicles to collide or whether any charges will result.
Another Rollover on the Same Road
This is not the first serious crash this fall along the same stretch of roadway. On Oct. 2, Darke County Sheriff's deputies, along with North Star Fire Department and Osgood EMS, responded to a single-vehicle rollover near North Star Fort Loramie Road and Rismiller Road, according to the Daily Advocate. That crash involved a 2015 Jeep Cherokee driven by 19-year-old Syenna Purdin of Greenville, and alcohol was believed to be a factor; it, too, remained under investigation by the sheriff's office.
No further details on Monday's investigation have been released. The Darke County Sheriff's Office has not indicated when the reconstruction findings or any further determinations will be made public.
