PIKE COUNTY, Ohio — It was a beautiful spring day in Marion Township in Pike County, but tragedy struck on Monday when the Portsmouth Dispatch Center of the Ohio State Highway Patrol received a call of a horrific SUV versus commercial-semi crash.
Stephen D. Stapleton, a 34-year-old resident of Waverly, was driving a 2006 Ford Escape, with two passengers: his wife Krysta M. Stapleton, 36, and his father Stephen F. Stapleton, 73.
The three were heading northbound on State Route 335 at around 4:30 p.m. when they failed to yield from a stop sign at the intersection of State Route 32, the patrol said. In a split second, their car was struck by a semi-truck being driven by Thomas P. Gannaway, a 74-year-old resident of Vinton, who was traveling eastbound on State Route 32.
The impact of the crash was devastating. The Ford Escape was smashed beyond recognition, and its occupants were trapped inside. Emergency services rushed to the scene, but it was too late. The three members of the Stapleton family were pronounced dead at the scene by the Pike County Coroner.
The tragedy has left the community in shock and mourning. The Stapleton family was well known and loved in the area, and their sudden and tragic deaths have left a void that will never be filled. The family was described as kind, generous, and always willing to help others in need.
The driver of the semi was lucky to escape the crash unscathed. He was visibly shaken and devastated by the accident and could not believe the events that had just unfolded before his eyes.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the accident, and the cause of the crash is still unknown. The Pike County Sheriff’s Office, Beaver VFD, Stockdale VFD, Department of Energy FD, Portsmouth Ambulance, and the Ohio Department of Transportation all assisted at the scene.
The community is left in mourning as they come to terms with the sudden loss of three beloved members of the Stapleton family.