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Woman identified in Johnston Township fatal accident
By Ed Runyan
JOHNSTON
The Ohio State Highway Patrol has identified the 22-year-old Cortland woman who died in a two- vehicle accident on state Route 5 just east of state Route 11 Monday evening as Rachel L. Davis of Phillips- Rice Road in Cortland.
She is the daughter of Richi Harmon and Tracy Peno of Phillips Rice Road. Earlier, it was believed Davis lived on Erie Street in Cortland, but that was an older address, troopers say.
Investigators believe Davis was traveling from the home where she was living with her parents to another relative’s house in Fowler Township at the time of the 6:35 p.m. head-on crash. She was driving a 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier.
Troopers do not believe alcohol was involved in the crash but do not know yet what caused Davis’ eastbound vehicle to travel left of center almost completely across the center line and collide with a tractor- trailer, said Lt. Brian Holt of the Southington Post.
The tractor-trailer was in its proper lane of travel.
“We have no idea why she went left of center,” Holt said. “It could be anything from sleepy to distracted.”
Davis was not wearing a seat belt and was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy will be performed.
Davis’ car hit a westbound 2014 Freightliner Cascadia owned by Shandex Truck Inc. of Pickerington, Ontario, Canada.
The driver, Rohan M. Powell, 46, of Scarborough, Ontario, was taken to St. Joseph Health Center for injuries suffered in the crash but was released later Monday.
Traffic was detoured for about 31/2 hours until the scene could be cleared. The semi was hauling pet food, but the load wasn’t dumped, state troopers said.
According to The Vindicator’s broadcast partner 21 WFMJ-TV, Davis was a teacher at the Kiddie Day Care and Preschool on North River Road in Warren for more than three years.