A fiery collision of two pickups in Bay Township on Tuesday afternoon left three people seriously injured.

But without the quick thinking of people who witnessed the crash, the incident could have been much worse. 

At about 3:45 p.m., a gray Chevy Silverado headed south on Ohio 53 crossed the center line and drove into the path of a red Chevy Silverado driven by Johnathon B. Riley, 18, of Port Clinton.

Riley tried to avoid the oncoming truck, driven by Daniel W. Pelton, 73, of Fostoria. 

Riley’s truck veered off the road, but the maneuver wasn’t enough — the vehicles plowed into each other head-on and ended up on the grassy berm. 

The crumpled front end of Pelton’s truck burst into flames upon impact. 

Chad Koehl, who lives two doors from the crash site, said he and passers-by rushed to help the drivers and Riley’s passenger, Rosie Hicks, 19 of Willard. 

They pulled Hicks and Pelton away from the burning vehicle and tried in vain to free Riley, whose leg was pinned and badly fractured. 

The handful of good Samaritans doused the flames with a fire extinguisher and water, snuffing it before emergency crews arrived.

Koehl said he noticed Hicks, who was non-responsive, was gagging, so he opened her mouth and moved her tongue from her airway.

Hicks was taken by medical helicopter to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Toledo soon after rescue crews from Bay Township, Port Clinton, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s office and North Central EMS arrived. 

An ambulance from North Central EMS took Pelton to Magruder Hospital. 

Crews worked for more than an hour to free Riley from the twisted pickup, slowly disassembling the truck so they could free his leg without causing further damage. 

Stefanie Swartz of Oak Harbor stood near the crash scene with her head in her hands, praying. 

“That’s my cousin,” she said of Riley. She phoned family members and told them to pray for him. 

“God can do anything,” she said. “He can walk about from that truck without a scratch. It’s possible.”

When firefighters were finally able to free Riley, he was quickly taken to a waiting medical helicopter and flown to St. Vincent’s Mercy Medical Center. 

Koehl said Riley was hurt but conscious. 

Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers are still investigating the cause of the crash, though witnesses said it appeared Pelton had some kind of medical episode or fell asleep before his pickup veered into oncoming traffic. 

Trooper Shaun Robinson commended the people who stopped to help the crash victims. 

“It’s too bad the world can’t function every day like people did today,” Koehl said. 

Kim Williamsen, of Port Clinton, said she travels Ohio 53 almost every day on her way to work as a fourth-grade teacher in Clyde. 

She stopped after the crash to see if she could help, and provided aid to Hicks until firefighters arrived. 

“She wasn’t responsive, and then she became combative, which I think indicates a brain injury,” Williamsen said, adding that she was impressed with the passers-by who coordinated the early rescue efforts. 

Among those impromptu rescuers was a man from Canada, who took charge and made sure the drivers were saved from the fire. 

Koehl said without everyone’s cooperation, the day may have ended in greater tragedy.

“A lot of people had a lot of good thoughts today,” Koehl said. 

Read the Ohio State Highway Patrol report below.

Related File(s): 

Media 22-0515-62.doc