Allen County crash claims Lima man

VW independent staff/submitted information

The Lima Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol believes alcohol may have played a role in an early Saturday morning crash that claimed a Lima resident.

According to a report from the Lima Patrol Post, the accident occurred at approximately 12:40 a.m. Saturday on Slabtown Rd. just north of Searfoss Rd. in Monroe Township.

Keith A. Lackey, 56, of Lima, was operating a 1998 Ford Explorer northbound on Slabtown Rd. and drove partially off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle re-entered the roadway and began sliding sideways and drove partially off the left side of the roadway. The vehicle then re-entered the roadway and rolled over several times, ejecting Lackey before coming to final rest on the right side of the roadway in a ditch.

Lackey was transported to St. Rita’s Mercy Health Hospital by Columbus Grove EMS where he was pronounced deceased. Troopers noted Lackey was not wearing a seat belt.

Assisting troopers on scene were deputies with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Columbus Grove EMS, Cairo and Monroe Township Fire and EMS and Miller Performance. The crash remains under investigation.