JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — A Fort Recovery man is dead after a Friday afternoon crash in Mercer County involving a road-striping crew on state Route 29. The crash occurred in the area of milepost 17 in Jefferson Township.
Cloyd W. Bergman, 61, of Fort Recovery, was operating a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck while traveling westbound on state Route 29 in the right lane.
Vance E. Shirkey, age 62, of Mason, Ohio was operating a 2012 Freightliner M2 crash attenuator truck while traveling westbound on State Route 29 in the right lane. Mr. Shirkey was operating the crash attenuator truck as part of a safety crew supporting road striping on State Route 29.
Ohio State Highway Patrol reports that the pickup truck driven by Bergman failed to merge into the left lane as indicated by directional arrow boards prior to the road striping operation and struck the rear of the crash attenuator truck driven by Shirkey.
Bergman was pronounced dead at the crash scene. He was wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash. Shirkey was transported to Miami Valley Hospital with serious injuries. It is unknown if he was wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash.
Alcohol and drugs are not suspected to be factors in the crash, which remains under investigation by the Wapakoneta Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
