Chillicothe – A two vehicle injury crash occurred on State Route 104 near milepost 11 in Ross County. On July 1st, 2020 at 2:50 P.M., a 2013 Kenworth tractor-trailer, driven by Neal Schwartz, 58, of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was traveling westbound from a private drive to travel southbound onto State Route 104. A 2006 Yamaha FZ6 motorcycle driven by William E. Rafferty II, 24, of Chillicothe, Ohio was traveling northbound on State Route 104 when his motorcycle struck the rear of Mr. Schwartz’s trailer.
Mr. Schwartz was not injured and remained on the scene. Mr. Rafferty was wearing
a helmet at the time of the crash and sustained life-threatening injuries. Med-Flight
responded to the scene and transported Mr. Rafferty to the OSU Wexner Medical Center
for treatment. State Route 104 was closed for approximately two hours between Eastern
and Southern Avenues while the investigation was being completed.
The Chillicothe Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted on the scene by
the Chillicothe Police Department, Chillicothe Fire and EMS, the Scioto Township Fire
Department and Med-Flight.
Speed appears to be a factor in the crash which remains under investigation.
