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A fatal crash on Monday in Scioto County claimed the life of an Ironton man.
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According to the Portsmouth Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash took place around 6:50 p.m. Monday on Gallia Pike, approximately one quarter mile north of Ironton Avenue in Franklin Furnace.
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The Patrol reports Timothy Stapleton, 53, of Ironton, died at St. Mary’s Hospital due to injuries sustained when the maroon 2001 Ford Explorer he was traveling as a front seat passenger in, veered off the roadway and traveled down an embankment, where it collided with a utility pole before overturning.
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Mr. Stapleton was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The Patrol says he was partially ejected and became trapped underneath the overturned vehicle. He was airlifted to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
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The driver of the vehicle, Clara R. Clermont, 38, of Ironton, experienced non-life threatening injuries in the crash and was taken by ground units to Southern Ohio Medical Center.
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The Patrol says troopers believe drug impairment to have played a role in the fatal crash, which continues to be investigated.