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Indiana State Police-Pendleton District 51-Pendleton, IN
Friday May 12th, 2017 :: 06:18 a.m. EDT

Community

Head-On Collision Sends Four To Hospital:UPDATE

Head-On Collision Sends Four to Hospital-UPDATE
 
 
Wayne – At 1 p.m. yesterday (5/11/17) Trooper Eric Fields overheard Wayne County Dispatch put out a serious injury crash on SR 227 north of Roell Rd. in northeastern Wayne County.  Fields, who was just a couple miles away arrived to find a 2017 Hyundai SUV facing west sitting across the north bound lane, and a 2009 Toyota car facing east off the west side of the road.
 
UPDATE: The Indiana State Police were notified late last evening that the five year old girl injured in the crash, Jocelyn Grace Gesell, who was a passenger in the Toyota car, had succumbed to the injuries she suffered in the crash. The condition of the other participants is unknown at this time.
 
 
Below is the rest of the original release.
 
 
 
The preliminary investigation shows that the north bound Hyundai SUV, driven by Anthony J Zircher, age 45 of Canfield, Ohio, had just passed a northbound pickup on a double yellow line, and was attempting to pass  a second car in the no passing zone as he approached the crest of a hill. 
 
At the crest of the hill the Hyundai ran head on into a south bound Toyota car driven by Britney Lee Byrley, age 24, of Brownsville Indiana.  Byrley, who had to be extricated from the car, was seriously injured.  A 5 year old girl in the Toyota, who was properly restrained in a booster seat, received serious life-threatening injuries and was taken to Reid Health Hospital in Richmond where she was stabilized, then flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.
 
An infant in the car with Byrley, which was also properly restrained in a child seat, was transported with Byrley to Reid Health in Richmond, with what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Hyundai, Anthony Zircher, was transported to Reid Health Hospital in Richmond for complaint of pain and non-life threatening injury.
 
Crash Reconstruction Trooper Kyle West assisted at the scene, and when the investigation is completed it will submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor for possible charges.
 
Troooper Fields was assisted by ISP Sergeant Dave Whitinger and Troopers Doug Snyder and Kyle West; the Hollandsburg Ohio Fire Department and EMS, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and INDOT.  SR 227 was closed from 1p.m. to approximately 3:00 p.m. yesterday as troopers investigated the crash and crews worked to clear the scene.
 
 

All Suspects Are Presumed Innocent Until Proven Guilty in a Court of Law
 
 

Address/Location
Indiana State Police-Pendleton District 51-Pendleton, IN
9022 Indiana 67
Pendleton, IN 46064

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 765-778-2121

John Bowling
Public Information Sergeant, Pendleton District 51
[email protected]
765-778-2121

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