Thursday, January 11th, 2007
One accident victim shows improvement
By Shelley Grieshop
The condition of a St. Marys man has improved following a crash Sunday on U.S. 33 that sent three people to a Lima hospital.
Jason R. Ballenger, 34, of St. Marys, was upgraded from critical to serious condition, according to a spokeswoman at St. Rita's Medical Center.
The second driver, Robert E. Kolk, 54, remained in serious condition, and his wife, Barbara L., also 54, was still listed in critical condition at the hospital.
The accident took place on the four-lane highway between Celina and St. Marys, near the Koenig Road exit at 4:25 p.m.
The report from the Wapakoneta post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said Ballenger was driving southeast on U.S. 33 when he lost control of his pickup truck on the wet pavement. The truck slid left of center and across the median and was struck by an SUV driven northwest by Robert Kolk.
The crash remains under investigation.