A two-vehicle crash killed one near Richmond Dale on US 35 Sunday afternoon.
The Highway Patrol reports that at about 4:30pm, 57-year-old Lynn Hornsby Jr. of Virginia was eastbound in a in a 2005 Peterbilt semi-truck.
While making a right turn onto Limerick Road, 50-year-old Ivan Flores-Heilbron of Michigan failed to maintain assured cleared distance. His 2018 Mercedes Sprinter van struck the trailer of the Peterbilt, which traveled off the left side of Limerick Road and struck a guardrail.
Flores-Heilbron was extricated by mechanical means, during which two Jefferson Township fire fighters were treated for heat exhaustion. He was flown to Grant Medical Center for life-threatening injuries, where he later succumbed.
Hornsby, the truck driver, was transported to Adena Regional Medical Center for minor injuries.
US 35 east was shut down for about two hours. Liberty Township EMS, Jefferson Township Fire/EMS, ODOT, and the Ross County Sheriff’s Office assisted on scene.
The Highway Patrol reminds drivers to focus on the roadway and avoid distractions.