Sheriff: Teen dead, two others critically hurt in Butler County crash

SOMERVILLE, Ohio — A 16-year-old is dead and two others are hospitalized in critical condition after a crash in Butler County Thursday morning.

According to the Butler County Sheriff's Office, the crash happened around 6:30 a.m. near the 6700 block of West Elkton near Somerville, Ohio.

WCPO requested and obtained a 911 call from the incident. A woman who'd been driving and witnessed the crash was emotional as she spoke with the dispatcher.

​"I can see that one car is OK. I don't think the other car is OK," she said through tears.

"You don't think the other car's OK?" the dispatcher asked.

"No. It's really bad," the caller said. "I've never seen anything like this."

The area is rural, so it took emergency responders roughly 10 minutes to reach the scene. The caller stayed on the phone with the dispatcher until they arrived.

She is heard on the call attempting to help the victims.

"Sir!" she yelled. "Oh yeah, there's kids. I don't think I can handle it."

Deputies found that a 16-year-old driving a 2005 Pontiac with a 13-year-old passenger traveled over the center line and crashed head-on into a 2013 Chevrolet Suburban driven by a 60-year-old man.

The 13-year-old and 60-year-old were both taken to hospitals via Careflight with serious injuries sheriff's deputies called life-threatening.

The 16-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, the sheriff's office said.

A 16-year-old is dead and his 13-year-old sister is seriously hurt. They were on their way to school this morning when they crashed head-on into another car on Elkton Road in Wayne Twp in Butler County. Police say the other driver was also airlifted to the hospital. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/Y94m2hFX0a

— Valerie Lyons (@VLyonsTV) October 17, 2024

Butler County Sgt. Kim Peters said the two teens are siblings who attend Preble Shawnee High School.

Preble Shawnee Local Schools Superintendent Todd Bowling said the 16-year-old who died was an 11th grade student.

"It was very difficult. It was shock at first," Bowling said. "Now our prayers are with him and his family but also with his sister who's in critical condition at the hospital."

He sent a letter to parents Thursday morning but refrained from naming the students involved because their parents had only just arrived at the crash site. As of Thursday afternoon, officials also have not released the identity of the teen killed.

"We worry about our families," he said. "We try and stay as positive as we can but the first thing we think about is how we can support our staff and students."

The school had counselors and support staff available for all students Thursday. They will also be on hand Thursday evening and throughout the day Friday for anyone who needs to talk.

"We're a small community so when one of us is hurt or something is happening we all stick together," Bowling said. "It's difficult for parents when they allow their kids to drive to school and we just have to do our best to remind everyone to be safe and wear their seatbelts, do the best you can, and be kind when dealing with issues like this."

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