43
Couple killed in Austintown crash as icy roads snarl traffic
Wednesday Crash Kills Two
Video
An elderly couple died instantly in a late morning crash in Austintown Thursday. The Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the victims as Irven B. Wilhelm, 78, of Deerfield, and Evelyn L. Wilhelm, 76, of Deerfield, in a Chevy pickup truck. The driver of the Penske truck was Larry L. Lawrence, 67, of Greenville, Pa.
Photo
Rain, falling temperatures and snow contributed to several traffic accidents Thursday, including one that killed a husband and wife on Mahoning Avenue near Turner Road in Austintown. Irven B. Wilhelm, 78, and his wife, Evelyn, 76, of Deerfield, died at the scene.
Staff report
A mixed bag of rain, freezing rain and snow made driving dangerous in many parts of the Valley on Thursday.
And snow was expected to blanket the area again this morning.
On Thursday, emergency officials responded to many accidents, the most serious a late morning crash in which an elderly couple died in Austintown after their pickup truck crashed with a Penske box truck.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol identified the victims as Irven B. Wilhelm, 78, of Deerfield, and his wife, Evelyn L., 76, who were in a Chevy pickup. The driver of the Penske truck was Larry L. Lawrence, 67, of Greenville, Pa.
Dr. Joseph Ohr, Mahoning County forensic pathologist, said the Wilhelms’ truck was eastbound on Mahoning Avenue in the right lane, west of Turner Road, when it went left of center.
“They lost control of the vehicle, sliding across the road [and] coming in front of the Penske truck,” Ohr said. The Penske truck was westbound in the right lane on Mahoning Avenue; Lawrence suffered no injuries.
The Wilhelms were wearing their seat belts. That section of Mahoning Avenue has a 55 mph speed limit.
Ohr said the Wilhelms “died instantly.” Their truck was struck on its passenger side and, due to the slick road conditions, was put into the path of the moving Penske truck. Authorities said at the crash scene Thursday that the winter weather and the road conditions were the cause of the crash.
Ohr said the autopsies will be performed today.
There isn’t freezing rain in today’s forecast, but the Valley should have about 1 to 3 inches of snow on the ground in the morning and another inch of snow during the day, said Martin Thompson, a hydrometeorological technician with the National Weather Service in Cleveland.
The temperature will be about 17 degrees for most of the day, dropping to about 13 degrees by 5 p.m. and to a low tonight and into Saturday morning of about 2 degrees, according to the weather service forecast.
Freezing rain and drizzle throughout the Mahoning Valley caused icy roads between about 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday. For most of the day, the temperature was in the mid-20s with a high of 36 degrees at 3:59 p.m., which helped thaw the ice, Thompson said.
“There was quite a mixed bag of precipitation” Thursday, he said. That included about 0.8 of an inch of snow.
In Youngstown, police reported several accidents, but none serious. As of 1:30 p.m. Thursday, officers were investigating nine separate crashes, and several times were heard to tell dispatchers it may take them a while to get to the scene because of the conditions.
Officers also alerted city officials of heavily iced roads on hills that were creating problems for motorists, including Indianola Avenue on the South Side and Himrod and Shehy avenues on the East Side.
There was a three-car accident at Fifth and Lincoln avenues on the Youngstown State University campus, closely followed by a car off the road on Interstate 680 near the state Route 711 northbound ramp about 1 p.m. There were no injuries in either accident.
Thursday evening, at Indianola and Poland avenues in Youngstown , a car slammed into a utility pole and ended up on its side. Hundreds in the area were without power, but the driver was not injured, reported 21 WFMJ-TV, The Vindicator’s broadcast partner.
Also Thursday evening, a car crossed Madison Avenue and crashed into the D&E Counseling Center, breaking a window. The driver, who crashed because of a medical condition, was uninjured, WFMJ reported.
In another accident, Boardman police investigated an accident involving a car and a mail truck in the 800 block of Shields Road.