Dorothy Smith dies in fatal Ottoville car crash

Dorothy Smith dies in fatal Ottoville car crash

Fatal Ottoville car crash death of Dorothy Smith – Obituary

A tragic two-vehicle accident late Monday morning in Montrey Township, Putnam County, resulted in the death of 72-year-old Dorothy Smith of Anderson, Indiana. The incident happened near Ottoville, at the intersection of U.S. Route 224 and Ohio State Route 66, just before 11 a.m.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol in Lima, Dorothy Smith was traveling eastbound on U.S. 224 in a 2021 Honda CR-V when her vehicle was struck by a 2007 Ford E-150 van heading southbound on Ohio 66. The van’s driver, 28-year-old Brittany Patton of Van Wert, allegedly failed to obey a stop sign at the intersection and collided with Smith’s SUV.

The impact caused the Honda to veer off the road, hit a stop sign, and overturn. Dorothy Smith was declared dead at the scene and later transported to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office by Ottoville EMS. A passenger in her vehicle, Nathan Smith, also 72 and from Anderson, Indiana, sustained critical injuries and was taken to St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima.

Brittany Patton was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening and was transported by Putnam County EMS. Also in Patton’s van were three children—two aged 4 and one just three months old. All three were unharmed but were taken to St. Rita’s as a precaution. The children were secured in proper car seats, and everyone involved was reportedly wearing seat belts.

Both the van and the SUV were heavily damaged and had to be towed from the crash site.

Emergency responders from multiple agencies assisted at the scene, including the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Ottoville and Kalida police departments, several area fire departments, Putnam County EMS, and the Ohio Department of Transportation.