Trish Bennett, Editor
TARLTON – A Stoutsville man was airlifted to a Columbus hospital following a crash Monday on Tarlton-Adelphi Road.
Clarence E. “Eddie” Riffle, 74, of Stoutsville, was transported by MedFlight to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center with serious injuries following the crash, according to Deputy Samantha Fearnow, Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
Fearnow said Riffle was driving a Ford Explorer on Tarlton-Adelphi Road about 11:38 a.m. when he crossed left of center in the curve near Mowery Road.
After crossing center, Riffle’s vehicle struck an Ohio CAT truck driven by Greg Sayles of Zanesville, Fearnow said. Sayles was not injured in the crash.
Medics from Saltcreek-Tarlton, Clearcreek and Pickaway Township fire departments all assisted at the scene to extricate Riffle from the wreckage and prepare him for transport.
Chief Joe Bethel, Saltcreek-Tarlton Fire Department, said it was a difficult rescue with the vehicle in a ditch full of water, and it took about 25 minutes to free Riffle from the wreckage.
“It was a good team effort, that’s for sure,” Bethel said. “It took all of them together to get him out.”
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
