Two Olentangy Liberty High School students were killed and two other people were injured in a two-vehicle crash in Delaware County on Monday.
It happened on Africa Road, south of Plumb Road, around 11 a.m.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, 17-year-old Gavin Schlotterbeck was driving a Toyota Camry northbound on Africa Road and 19-year-old Emily Bensi was driving a Jeep Wrangler southbound.
Schlotterbeck drove off the right side of the road, over corrected and drove left of center striking Bensi’s vehicle, according to the highway patrol.
Schlotterbeck and his passenger, 17-year-old Hunter McClelland, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Bensi and her passenger, 12-year-old Geneva Day, were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.
Ohio State Highway Patrol said alcohol is not suspected and all those involved were wearing seatbelts.
The crash remains under investigation.
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A spokesperson for the McClelland family released the following statement:
"We are truly heartbroken. We want to thank our community for the love and support in this time of great tragedy. Our hearts also go out to Gavin's family and the other families involved. We also want to thank the emergency response teams. Hunter was a beautiful on the inside and outside. She was kind and a good student. She volunteered to serve the kids at her church Lifepoint Ohio. She has a great sense of humor and was just a good kid."
Olentangy Local Schools Superintendent Mark Raiff sent the following letter to families in the district Tuesday:
It is with great sadness that I write to share the tragic news of the loss of two of our students.
Gavin Schlotterbeck and Hunter McClelland were traveling northbound on Africa Road when they were fatally injured in an auto accident yesterday. Both Gavin and Hunter were Liberty High School rising seniors in the class of 2018.
Last evening, Liberty High School students, friends and families gathered to remember their friends and loved ones with shared memories, stories, songs, laughter and tears.
Our community is hurting today and will be in the coming days. There are no words that will adequately express the sorrow we feel for the Schlotterbeck and McClelland families and those whose lives were touched by Gavin and Hunter.
Please know we will do everything possible to support all our students and families in the aftermath of this tragic incident. We will also come together as a community to support our neighbors, friends and classmates. The strength of Olentangy rests in our love for our students - your children - and the care and concern we have as we support one another through this tragedy.
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