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Couple fatally struck by van
By Elise Franco
Liberty
An elderly couple died Saturday evening after they were struck by a vehicle while crossing Belmont Avenue.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed a 71-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were hit by a van about 5:40 p.m. Saturday on Belmont near Liberty Street.
The OSHP is withholding the victims’ names until next of kin have been notified, according to a news release.
The driver of the van, Sandra L. Scott, 64, of Vienna, wasn’t injured in the accident.
Scott was driving southbound on Belmont when the victims, who were not from Ohio, crossed into the path of her van and were struck. The man died at the scene, and the woman died at St. Elizabeth Health Center a short time later, a news release said.
Paul Hartman, a manager at the Wendy’s restaurant at that intersection, said he heard the crash as he was handing an order to a customer at the drive-thru.
Hartman said fire and CPR training kicked in, and he ran to help.
“I heard it and told the other manager I saw someone get hit by a car, and I left the building. I administered CPR to one of the victims,” he said.
When asked what was running through his mind, he said, “Nothing.”
Hartman said he continued CPR until Liberty fire personnel arrived to take over. He said he, along with other people who stopped to help, stayed outside with the victims for about 15 minutes.
“Everybody else who was out there did a great job, too,” he said. “A registered nurse and a lot of other civilians were out there. It was really nice to see all those people helping.”
No charges have been filed, and the accident remains under investigation by the OSHP.