SENECA COUNTY, Ohio — EDITOR'S NOTE: The attached video originally airs on Nov. 10, 2021.
A 40-year-old man is dead following a three-vehicle crash on US 224 in Seneca County Friday afternoon.
Just after 2:30 p.m., 40-year-old Dwayne Stephens, Jr., of Tiffin, was headed eastbound on US 224. At the same time, Eugene Ward, 69, also of Tiffin, was driving westbound on the same road.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Stephens and Ward crashed head-on in the westbound lane near milepost 4.
Ward ran off the north side of the road and his vehicle went into a ditch. Stephens' vehicle came to rest in the roadway.
The collision caused a third vehicle, driven by 34-year-old Nolan Taylor Rettig, of Alvada, to be stricken by debris. His vehicle also became disabled in the roadway.
Stephens was reportedly not wearing a seat belt and died as a result of the crash.
Ward and his passenger, 65-year-old Patricia Sue Ward, suffered serious injuries. Eugene Ward was reportedly not wearing a seat belt, but Patricia Ward was wearing hers at the time of the collision. Both were transported to the hospital.
According to OSHP, Rettig was wearing a safety belt and was not injured.
Assisting on scene were Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, Bascom Fire, Seneca County EMS, Seneca County CERT, Ohio Department of Transportation, Seneca County Coroner and D&D Towing.