Fredericktown — A Fredericktown man was killed and a teenage boy injured in a Friday night crash.
Thomas K. Swihart, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene of a fatal crash Friday that occurred at approximately 10:25 p.m. on County Road 5 near County Road 66 in Morris Township.
According to Ohio State Highway Patrol, Mount Gilead Post reports, Swihart was driving a taupe 2001 Lincoln LS northbound on County Road 5. Swihart lost control of the vehicle as he drove over the crest of a hill and went off the left side of the roadway, struck a barn, a parked vehicle and a tree. The car broke in half, ejecting Swihart and his passenger, Tate K. Swihart, 17, Mount Vernon.
Tate Swihart was transported by MedFlight to Grant Medical Center. The patrol reported Saturday that Tate had life threatening injuries. Representatives of Grant Medical Center said Monday morning that Tate is in critical, but stable, condition.
Though the patrol reports that both Thomas and Tate Swihart were ejected from the vehicle, it further reports both were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. Alcohol is a suspected factor in the crash, according to the patrol. The patrol was assisted on scene by the Fredericktown Fire Department, Fredericktown Police Department, and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. The crash remains under investigation.