Teen passenger dead, young man injured in rural NW Ohio crash
PAULDING COUNTY -- A car went through a stop sign and off a roadway early Sunday in rural northwestern Ohio and struck a tree, killing a 17-year-old front-seat passenger, authorities report.
Kaiya Raine Klopfenstein of Defiance was pronounced deceased at the scene at County Road 133 at State Route 111 in Paulding County's Emerald Township, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said.
The driver of the 2004 Audi A6, identified as Tyson Michael Ward, 18, of Oakwood, was transported by Paulding EMS to Defiance Regional Medical Center, with serious injuries.
The crash happened at 1:09 a.m. The car was traveling northbound on County Road 133 and did not stop at the State Route 111 stop sign, the patrol said.
The crash remains under investigation by the patrol’s Van Wert post.
The patrol was assisted on scene by the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Paulding Fire and EMS, Paulding County coroner, and R&O Services.
