Woman Killed, 1 Swims To Shore In Crash With Tanker

EDINBURG TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A woman was killed and another driver had to swim to shore after a crash involving three vehicles on Thursday in Portage County.

The Edinburg Township Fire Department responded to a wreck between a car and a tanker truck at about 8 a.m. at Industry Road and state Route 14 at the Ravenna Township line.

The semi-truck, carrying dry cement powder, collided with the car, killing 78-year-old Mary French who live on Industry Road. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that French failed to yield.

Officials said a sport utility vehicle was also involved in the crash and ended up in the water of West Branch State Park, west of Cable Line Road.

Peggy Griffith, 53, of Deerfield, was able to get out of the SUV and swim to shore. She was transported to Robinson Memorial Hospital in Ravenna by the Edinburg Fire Department with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the semi-truck, Walter M. Jones, was also transported to RMH by the Ravenna City Fire Department. The truck was from Landry Trucking in Valley View.

State Route 14 between I-76 and Route 5 in Portage County will remain closed into the early evening hours.

The Portage County Hazardous Material Team and Portage County Water Rescue Team will be on scene, along with the Portage County EMA for vehicle recoveries, diesel spill and incident stabilization.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the Red Cross, the Ohio Department of Transportation and several large tow companies were also at the scene.

The Ohio State Patrol is conducting the investigation.