KNOX COUNTY, Ohio — An 18-year-old is dead and four teenagers are injured after a single-vehicle car crash in Knox County Sunday afternoon.
The accident took place on Monroe Mills Road near Zion Road in Harrison Township at 2:40 p.m., according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
A 19-year-old was driving a silver 2009 Kia Spectra on Township Road 233 when he drove off the right side of the road, overcorrected, and hit a tree. The car flipped over, according to the OSHP.
Two 18-year-olds as well as a 17-year-old and 16-year-old were also in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
James Clay Bristow II, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver, the second 18-year-old and the 16-year-old were flown to Grant Medical Center. The 17-year-old was taken to the Knox County Community Hospital, according to the OSHP.
According to the press release, the driver was wearing his seatbelt but all passengers were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the crash.
East Knox Local Schools superintendent Steve Larcomb told 10TV Bristow graduated from the district in June. A spokesperson later confirmed Bristow attended Central Ohio Technical College through spring 2020.
"He was a young man with a huge smile and a gregarious personality. James was an (Agriculture) Business student while at East Knox. I will forever remember him crossing the stage to receive his diploma and the chance to shake his hand in congratulations. Our hearts go out to his family in their time of sorrow for a life lost far too soon," Larcomb wrote in an emailed statement.
This crash is still under investigation by the Mount Gilead Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
