Ohio State Highway Patrol are looking into the official cause of a crash that killed an East Orange resident and his girlfriend Sunday.
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According to a preliminary statement released by Ohio State Police, at approximately 8:30 a.m., they received a call from a passerby reporting a crashed vehicle with occupants possibly trapped inside near Dairy Lane and South Park Drive Athens.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene and found the overturned vehicle with Ohio State University Students Ms. Laiken Nicole Salyers, 23, of Wheelersburg, Ohio and Mr. Richard R. Turner, 20, of East Orange, inside the car, unconscious and unresponsive.
According to Ohio State Police, during a preliminary investigation, they found that the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve and lost control on the ice-covered roadway.
Police say the vehicle then slid off the road's left side and overturned onto its top in a creek, becoming partially submerged.
Ohio University released a statement following news of the crash:
"It is with great sadness that we confirm Laiken Salyers, a fourth-year student in Ohio University's College of Health Sciences and Professions and Richard Turner, a second-year student in Ohio University's University College, have passed away as the result of a tragic accident. Our hearts go out to their families during a difficult time. The Dean of Students has been in contact with their families, and the University is providing support to students and employees affected by this loss."
The crash remains under investigation.