Man, 44, killed in weather-related crash in Greene County

A 44-year-old Illinois man was killed in a weather-related crash Wednesday night on U.S. 35 near New Jasper Station Road east of Xenia.

The crash happened shortly after 11:30 p.m. when the driver of a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 headed west lost control on a slick spot and struck the guardrail on the right side of the roadway, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Xenia Post.

RELATED: Multiple weather-related crashes reported throughout the Miami Valley 

Then, the driver of a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan, also headed west, lost control on the same spot and struck the pickup truck, troopers said.

The pickup truck driver, Elizabeth Melton, 37, and her passenger, Tom Melton, 52, both of Jamestown, were taken to Greene Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

A passenger in the minivan, 44-year-old Ivan J. Jones of Savanna, Illinois, was pronounced dead at the scene, prompting the Greene County Coroner’s Office to respond.

The minivan’s driver, Richard F. Hirsbrunner, 43, of Richland Center, Wisconsin, also was taken to Greene Memorial Hospital. His other passenger, John Dunlavy III, 50, of Darlington, Wis., was taken to Miami Valley Hospital.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Office, Xenia Twp., New Jasper Twp., Cedarville and Silvercreek Twp. EMS also responded to the crash, which remains under investigation.

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