2 killed in Bethel Twp. crash, deputies couldn’t find car for hours

Two Clark County men died in a crash that occurred Wednesday night but investigators couldn’t find them or their car until Thursday morning.

The cause of death for 28-year-old Curtis Standifer of New Carlisle and 26-year-old Jarron “Jasper” Oppy of Medway remained still unclear Thursday. A coroner’s report will determine whether the men were killed instantly from the crash or if they may have been trapped, said Lt. Brian Aller, commander of the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Springfield Post.

It appears speed was the cause of the crash that occurred about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 1600 block of Funderburg Road in Bethel Twp., Aller said, and no bad weather was reported at the time of the accident.

The preliminary investigation shows that Standifer was driving a silver 1997 Honda Accord southbound on Funderburg Road when he lost control, drove left of center and then went off the right side of the roadway, troopers said. The car struck trees, rocks and flipped over onto its top in a small creek bed.

RELATED: 2 men identified in deadly Funderburg Road crash

A neighbor nearby said she heard the crash Wednesday night and called the sheriff’s office to investigate.

“Around 6:30 p.m. I just heard this unbelievable swishing noise and then I heard this terrible crash,” Darlene Anspaugh said. “I looked out the kitchen window and I didn’t see anything.”

She called the sheriff’s office and when authorities arrived, she went out with her spotlight to search for the crash with them. No one was able to find any signs of a crash.

Deputies searched the area, Maj. Chris Clark with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said. But they were unable to find the car, he said, because it was dark, the area where the car landed was wooded and how the car was positioned.

“The way the trees were around it, I am not certain I would be able to see it myself,” Clark said. “It is unfortunate.”

He said deputies went up and down the road several times before leaving the scene.

“The way the car ended up, there were nothing to reflect the light,” he said.

READ MORE: Clark County fatal crashes drop in 2016

Deputies returned Thursday morning when Anspaugh called them back because she could see the wreck in the daylight.

“I was sick this morning,” Anspaugh said. “I called the sheriff’s office right away. I was just thinking, ‘It’s cold, they have been there all night.’ I felt devastated. It’s terrible, anybody has to suffer like that.”

She said it is common for people to drive too fast on her road.

“This is a bad road, it’s very hilly,” she said. “A few weeks ago we had another car go off. He was fine.”

Funderburg Road is off New Carlisle Pike. The crash occurred between New Carlisle Pike and Sigler Road.

It’s the first fatal crash in Clark County in 2017.

Standifer had a suspended license and was previously convicted five times for driving without a license in the past three years, according to the state patrol. Oppy was the owner of the car, troopers said.

Both men had their seat belts on at the time of the crash, troopers said. The car sustained damage on its rear, top and passenger side. A crane was used to lift it out of the creek.


By the numbers

23: 2015 Clark County fatal crashes

12: 2016 Clark County fatal crashes

1,077: Total deaths as a result of car crashes in Ohio in 2016

About the Author