JACKSON TWP—Two people died, and a third was seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash Friday afternoon on state Route 302 just west of state Route 89 in Ashland County that closed Route 302 for about three hours, according to a news release from the State Highway Patrol.
Two occupants of one of the vehicles, Todd Brown II, 35, of Galion, and Steven Kubyako, 34, of Greenwich, were pronounced dead at the scene, while a third occupant, Morgan Kopp, 23, of Mansfield, was transported to Akron City Hospital with life-threatening injuries, reported the State Highway Patrol, which added that the driver of the other vehicle, a 50-year-old Dundee man, was treated and released at the scene.
According to the release, a Chevrolet Silverado with Brown II, Kubyako, and Kopp was westbound on Route 302. A Ford F-450 driven by the Dundee man was eastbound on Route 302 at around 3:44 p.m. when the Chevrolet went left of center and struck the Ford head-on, causing both vehicles to catch fire and travel off the road into a ditch.
Assisting the State Highway Patrol at the scene were Polk-Jackson Fire and EMS, Nankin EMS, Ashland Fire Department, Ohio Department of Transportation, Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ashland County Coroner’s Office.
The crash is still under investigation, according to the State Highway Patrol, which added that none of the occupants of the Chevrolet appeared to be wearing their seat belts.