Troopers investigating two separate fatal crashes in Fairfield County

LANCASTER, Ohio (WCMH) – Two people are dead after separate, single-vehicle crashes within an eight-hour period in Fairfield County.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol reported that the first crash occurred at 2:58 p.m. on State Route 188 in Hocking Township.

Avon Stokes, 41, of Lancaster, was driving westbound in a 2008 Chevrolet Impala when he failed to navigate a curve. Stokes reportedly overcorrected, crossed the center line and traveled off the left side of the roadway. He struck an embankment and overturned before he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The second crash occurred at 12:49 a.m. Friday on Lithopolis Road, near Mount Zion Road in Greenfield Township.

There, Brian Swank, 37, of Lancaster, was operating a 2020 Harley Davidson motorcycle while traveling eastbound when he failed to negotiate a curve. He traveled off the right side of the road, struck a ditch and an embankment before overturning. He was also pronounced dead at the scene by the Fairfield County Coroner’s Office.

The OSHP said both crashes remain under investigation.