ASHVILLE, Ohio — A Columbus man died and two other people were injured Sunday evening in a head-on crash on State Route 104 in Pickaway County that shut down the highway between State Route 316 and State Route 762, according to the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
UPDATE (Sept. 14, 12:20 p.m.): This story has been updated with additional information from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office Communications Center received 911 calls at 6:37 p.m. Sunday reporting a head-on collision on State Route 104 just north of State Route 316, according to Sheriff Matthew O. Hafey. The South Bloomfield Police Department was first on scene, with sheriff’s deputies arriving a short time later, Hafey said.
Deputies found the crash near 12534 State Route 104, just north of Walker Road, where one vehicle was smoking and its occupants were having trouble getting out, the sheriff’s office said. The driver of the other vehicle was able to get out on their own.
Deputies determined a 2017 Chevrolet Trax was traveling south in the northbound lane in that area as a 2024 GMC pickup truck approached, heading north, according to the sheriff’s office. Witnesses told investigators the pickup swerved into the southbound lane to avoid a head-on hit, and the Trax swerved back toward the southbound lane as well, striking the truck head-on.
The Trax’s driver and two passengers had to be extricated by fire and EMS crews. The driver, 47-year-old Basil A. Southern of Columbus, was pronounced dead at the scene by Harrison Township Fire and EMS, the sheriff’s office said. The two passengers, identified as Anna M. Southern and Stephanie A. Foster, also of Columbus, were taken to Columbus-area hospitals by Scioto Township Fire and EMS.
The pickup truck’s driver, Amanda J. Howard, was taken to a local hospital by Circleville Fire and EMS with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol assisted with the investigation. It’s not the first closure on State Route 104 in Pickaway County this year — a stretch of the highway near its intersection with State Route 762 was shut down in August after high water made it impassable.
Hafey thanked the South Bloomfield Police Department, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Commercial Point Police Department, Harrison Township Fire and EMS, Scioto Township Fire and EMS, Circleville Fire and EMS, the Ohio Department of Transportation and Pickaway County Coroner Dr. Seth Yates for their assistance.
The crash remains under investigation by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office. Residents can reach the sheriff’s office non-emergency line at 740-420-5850.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
