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Truck runs stop sign, hits pickup, rolls over; 3 injured

Intersection has seen frequent accidents, nearby residents say.

Brandon Smith-Hebson A semi truck has overturned onto its side and crashed into a dual-cab Ford truck about 11:30 a.m. today.

ENLARGE PHOTO

A firefighter tries to contain the diesel fuel spraying from the fuel tank of an overturned semi-tractor
trailer at the intersection of Lower Valley Pike and Ohio 369 on Thursday after the semi struck a pickup truck and flipped in the intersection. Both drivers were transported to the hospital. It took several hours to clean up the mess caused by the crash.

Marshall Gorby/Staff Photo A firefighter tries to contain the diesel fuel spraying from the fuel tank of an overturned semi-tractor trailer at the intersection of Lower Valley Pike and Ohio 369 on Thursday after the semi struck a pickup truck and flipped in the intersection. Both drivers were transported to the hospital. It took several hours to clean up the mess caused by the crash.

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer Updated 10:08 PM Thursday, December 1, 2011

BETHEL TWP. — Three people were taken to area hospitals after a semi truck ran a stop sign, smashed into a pickup on Lower Valley Pike and overturned.

Shawn Gorley, 32, will likely be cited after the truck he was driving ran a stop sign at the intersection with Ohio 369 near the Hertzler House at George Rogers Clark Park.

The semi broad-sided a white pickup driven by Guntis Blachins, 67, who was turning right, said Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Richard Dixon.

“(There was) extensive damage. Both parties in both vehicles were trapped and were removed by Bethel Twp. Fire Department,” Dixon said.

Blachins and his wife, Pamela, 64, were taken to Miami Valley Hospital. Guntis Blachins was listed as being in the intensive care unit while Pamela Blachins had minor injuries, according to hospital officials.

Gorley was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center. His condition is unknown.

A HAZ-MAT crew was called to clean up diesel fuel, which leaked out of the semi. It took several hours for crews to clean up debris and remove the steel coils which spilled across the roadway.

Dixon said Gorley may have been trying to keep his load from shifting prior to the crash.

Neighbors said there are several accidents each year at the intersection, so they weren’t surprised to hear the sirens Thursday.

“A lot of people come down the ramp and they just go right through the stop sign thinking that road just goes straight and they broadside people here,” said Bethel Twp. resident Keith Staffan.

The intersection is well-known to law enforcement.

“We handle a decent amount of crashes here at this intersection,” Dixon said. “Most of them are stop sign violations — failure to yield.”

The crash remains under investigation.

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