“This is a thing that affects everybody and the entire community, not just the city of Dayton,” Cairns said.
Around 6 p.m. Sunday the driver of a Ford Expedition went off the right side of the road while at the intersection of Frederick Pike and Rivers Edge Boulevard and then overcorrected, causing the SUV to cross the center line and hit a car head-on.
“It’s a narrow two-lane road so there’s not much space for correction,” Cairns said. “On this specific stretch of road your options if you’re to lose control is to go into the woods or into oncoming traffic.”
The driver of the car, 35-year-old Brittany Shanks, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office. There were three children in the car ages 3, 5 and 10. The children had various serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, including a broken wrist and broken pelvis, Cairns said.
The driver of the Ford also had serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Ford and the three children were transported to Miami Valley Hospital and Dayton Children’s Hospital.
The crash remains under investigation. Cairns said investigators are looking into other possible factors, including impairment and distracted driving.
An overcorrection crash around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday sent at least four people to the hospital after a van rolled over on state Route 4 near state Route 444.
Two tires blew out on the 15-passenger van, causing the vehicle to go off the left side of the road and into the grass.
The driver overcorrected while trying to get back onto the road, resulting in the van flipping over, Cairns said.
“A few people were removed to the hospital but there were no serious injuries,” he said. “Very lucky in that specific instance.”
With commuters adjusting to back-to-school traffic and the Labor Day weekend approaching, Dayton police wanted to remind drivers to pay attention while driving and share tips about how they can avoid overcorrecting.
Most overcorrection crashes are related to tire blow outs, wet or icy roads or a vehicle going off the side the road, Cairns said. Distracted driving or swerving to avoid an animal or other vehicle are common contributing factors.
Once a vehicle leaves the road, different friction points under the vehicle will make it act differently, he explained.
“When this happens, do not immediately steer back onto the road in a rapid, fast manner,” Cairns said. “You want to just let off the accelerator, do not hit the brake hard, let the car come to a good pace and when it’s clear to do so, slowly pull back on to the pavement.”
Slamming on the brakes can make tires work differently and turning the wheel too hard can cause the vehicle to go left of center, spin out of control or roll over, he added.
Maintaining your vehicle and checking your tires can also help prevent unexpected issues, such as tire blow outs, that can lead to overcorrecting.
Cairns also urged people to wear their seat belts and put away cellphones while driving.
“We want to remind people that you have to concentrate on what’s more important at that time which is driving that vehicle,” he said.
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