GENOA, OH (Toledo News Now) - The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office says two people were killed in a crash at the intersection of State Route 51 and Manor Drive in Genoa around 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Troopers say a witness told them he was driving southbound on State Route 51 when the driver of a Dodge Challenger, 65-year-old Harold Snyder Jr. of Toledo, attempted to pass him.
The witness says Snyder didn't have enough time to finish passing him on the two lane road and hit a Hyundai Elantra driven by 84-year-old George Neukom of Tiffin head-on. Both men were killed.
"I remember it sounded like a distant rumble of thunder, like that 3 or 4 second rumble," said Earnest Killion, who lives next to the site of the crash.
He says the Dodge Challenger took out a fence and landed on its roof. Snyder was thrown and found dead in a yard near by. Neukom died in his car.
Killion then ran inside to tell his wife what he had seen.
"And told her you don't want to go out there yet. There's a car in our yard and the driver is laying on the ground dead," said Killion.
The Patrol says raindrops were falling when the accident happened, but it is not clear if weather was a factor in the crash.
Lt. Brett Gockstetter says alcohol may have been another contributor.
"We did find an alcohol container in the at-fault vehicle. We are going to investigate that and obviously look into toxicology. Again, another sad thing that didn't have to happen," said Gockstetter.
Police say neither driver was wearing their seat-belt. Lt. Gockstetter says that could have saved Snyder's life by preventing him from being ejected from the Challenger.
Killion says he wasn't prepared to witness a tragedy.
"You just have to be sure before you're about to pass? You have to be sure yeah. Before you pull out," said Killion.
The intersection was closed for several hours because of the wreck, but has since reopened.
