BRADFORD — A Piqua man is dead following a single-vehicle crash Saturday evening along U.S. Route 36 near Bradford.
At approximately 3:37 p.m., Darke County Deputies along with Gettysburg Rescue, Bradford Fire and Rescue, CareFlight, the Darke County Coroner, and Darke County Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team responded to a crash scene at the 9100 block of U.S. Route 36.
Preliminary investigation revealed a Yellow 2002 Jeep Wrangler driven by Margaret L. Rhoades, 66, of Piqua, Ohio, and husband, front seat passenger Robert E. Rhoades, 71, was traveling eastbound on U.S. Route 36 when the vehicle drove off the right side of the roadway, over-corrected and drove off the left side of the roadway into the ditch over a gravel lane and striking a fence and struck several trees in a woods. Both occupants were ejected from the vehicle.
Mr. Rhoades succumbed to his injuries at the scene and Mrs. Rhoades was transported to Miami Valley Hospital aboard CareFlight for serious injuries. Both occupants were not wearing seat belts. This marks the 7th fatal accident this year in Darke County.
“She lost control, over-corrected and went off the left side of road,” said Darke County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Steve Mills. “The vehicle rolled several times.”
“I have handled numerous crashes on this route,” Mills said. “It is a heavily driven route. Drivers need to slow down and stay off of their phones.”
This accident remains under investigation by the Darke County Sheriff’s Office.
