Providence Twp. crash kills 2, injures 1

9/20/2011

Two people were killed and a third was injured in a collision Monday morning that closed a rural Providence Township intersection for about five hours.

Deborah L. Kendall, 57, of Grand Rapids, Ohio, died at the scene, and Brandon M. Strong, 21, of Swanton, died later in a Toledo hospital of injuries he suffered in the 9:17 a.m. collision at Jeffers and Neowash roads, troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Toledo post reported.

According to the report, a pickup occupied by Mr. Strong and Cody W. Jahns, 23, of Toledo was headed west on Neowash when it failed to stop at Jeffers and broadsided a northbound sport utility vehicle driven by Ms. Kendall.

Mr. Jahns was taken to the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital, where a spokesman said no information was available about his condition.

None of the people involved was wearing a seat belt, and all were ejected, making it unclear who was driving the pickup, troopers said.

Lt. John Altman, commander of the highway patrol’s Toledo post, said the collision impact was severe, with both vehicles going off the road into a yard northwest of the intersection. The pickup was broken into two pieces, and the SUV ended up on its side. It was raining then.

The Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, county coroner, Waterville police, and Providence Township Fire Department assisted at the scene.

Mrs. Kendall retired in May from Otsego Local Schools. She had been a language arts teacher more than 30 years.

“She was one of those teachers you heard parent after parent say, ‘My kids just loved Mrs. Kendall,’” Otsego Superintendent James Garber said.