JACKSON COUNTY, Ohio — A groundhog on County Road 79 in Jackson County led to a serious motorcycle crash on Thursday afternoon, September 12, 2024. At around 2:26 PM, troopers from the Jackson Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to the scene on Clary Road in Lick Township, where the accident occurred.
Bill Farney, 24, of Jackson, Ohio, was riding his 2024 Suzuki GSX motorcycle north on County Road 79 when he reportedly struck a groundhog that wandered onto the road. The impact caused Farney to veer off the right side of the roadway and overturn. The crash scattered debris that ignited a grass fire near the road, but two men, the patrol said, were able to extinguish the flames before they could spread any further.
Farney, troopers said, was not wearing a helmet and sustained serious injuries. He was transported by Jackson County EMS to Holzer of Jackson and then airlifted to Saint Mary’s Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia. The crash resulted in the closure of County Road 79 for over an hour as authorities investigated the scene.
