PICKAWAY COUNTY, Ohio – A 65-year-old man from Ashville died in a single-vehicle crash late Friday night in Pickaway County after his car veered off the road, struck a tree, and caught fire.
According to the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded around 9:52 p.m. on January 9, 2026, to reports of a motor vehicle crash with fire on State Route 752 between Winchester Road and Ett Noecker Road in Madison Township.
Investigators determined that a 2009 Cadillac was traveling eastbound when it left the right side of the roadway and entered a shallow embankment. The vehicle continued across the grass before colliding with a tree, which ejected the driver and ignited the car in flames.
An off-duty police officer who witnessed the crash pulled the driver away from the burning vehicle and performed life-saving efforts until emergency medical personnel arrived.
Harrison Township Fire and EMS pronounced the driver, identified as Perry S. Swain, 65, deceased at the scene.
The Pickaway County Coroner, Dr. Seth Yates, responded and ordered Swain’s body transported to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.
No other vehicles were involved, and the crash remains under investigation by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities have not released information about any possible contributing factors.