Two dead after crash in Clinton County

WILMINGTON, Ohio (WCMH) -- Two people are dead after an SUV crashed into a semi-truck, causing both vehicles to go off the road and the truck to jackknife, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The crash happened on US 68 south of Center Road in Clinton County at approximately 4:14 p.m.

A 2017 Freightliner semi-truck, driven by a 29-year-old Dayton man, was driving north on US 68 while a 2000 Chevrolet Blazer driven by Eric Ford, 32, of Sabina, was driving south. Police said the Blazer crossed the center line, hitting the front of the Freightliner. The collision caused both vehicles to drive off the east side of US 68, where the semi-truck hit a utility pole and then jackknifed, police said.

Ford and his passenger, Robert Graves, 51, of Sabina, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

The semi-truck driver was taken to Clinton Memorial Hospital in Wilmington before being transferred to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton for treatment. His condition is not known.

OSHP was assisted at the scene by Wilmington Fire and EMS, Port William Fire and EMS, the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.