Three flown to hospitals after Blue Jay Road crash
HEATH — A one-car crash Saturday afternoon on Blue Jay Road separated the frame from the body of the vehicle, injuring three occupants who were flown to Columbus hospitals.
A man and woman were taken to Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center, and an 8-year-old boy was flown to Nationwide Children's Hospital, according to Heath emergency responders and Air Evac. All three might have been ejected from the vehicle, according to a release from Heath police.
The crash, called in to the Licking County 911 Center at 12:42 p.m., occurred in the area of 1504 Blue Jay Road, leaving debris on the road and in yards on both sides of the street.
Heath police patrol officer Ryan Peterson said the three occupants were conscious when taken away by the emergency squads. Heath Fire Chief Mark Huggins said the initial call said one person was ejected from the vehicle and that the car hit a pole.
The driver of the car, Heath Fire Department Capt. Bob Kozlowski said, was Johnathon Sirmon, 25. Sirmon was not listed at Wexner Medical Center on Saturday evening.
Bob Acord, a resident at 1475 Blue Jay Road, said he heard the sound and looked out his window to see what happened.
"I heard tires squealing and saw the front end and motor flying through the air and the body of the car over there and all that debris," Acord said. "There's a big concrete guard over the culvert. He hit that and went airborne and tore the car in two."
Three medical helicopters were requested, according to scanner traffic, landing at nearby Ben Franklin Elementary School, in Newark. The Heath Fire Department took the man, Licking Township took a woman in her 20s, and Newark transported the boy to the helicopters, according to fire personnel at the departments.
Asked what caused the crash, Heath police patrol officer Shane Satterfield simply said: "Speed."
Police said skid marks could be seen on the road before the westbound vehicle hit the culvert or ditch on the right side of the road.
Benny Clark, a Blue Jay Road resident, said: "I was in the front yard and heard something and thought it was a dust storm. It was just a bang. The bang is what made me look."
The names of the three occupants have not been released, but Heath police said the woman was 25 years old. It is not known whether they are area residents. Their conditions were unknown, police said.
An investigator with the Ohio Highway Patrol had been called to the scene, Heath police said. It is not known how long the road will be closed.