McCOMB, Ohio (THECOUNT) — Paul Leader, of Findlay, Ohio, was killed Thursday night in a two-vehicle head-on crash on State Route 186 south of McComb in Hancock County, the Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed. Shelby Freed, 23, of McComb, Ohio, was injured in the crash and transported to the hospital for treatment. Leader was 51.
According to troopers from the OSHP Findlay Post and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at approximately 10:04 p.m. on State Route 186, south of County Road 97 in Hancock County.
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Investigators say Leader was driving a 2018 Kia Forte southbound on State Route 186 when his vehicle crossed left of center and struck a 2015 Hyundai Veloster traveling northbound, driven by Freed. Leader was pronounced dead at the scene. Freed was transported by Hanco EMS to Blanchard Valley Hospital in Findlay for treatment. The severity of Freed’s injuries has not been specified.
Seat belts were worn by both drivers, according to authorities.
McComb is a village in Hancock County in northwest Ohio, located approximately 15 miles south of Findlay, the county seat. State Route 186 is a rural two-lane highway running through agricultural flatlands in the region. The crash occurred south of the County Road 97 intersection, in a stretch of highway characteristic of the open rural corridors common to Hancock County.
Responding to the scene were the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, Hanco EMS, the Pleasant McComb Portage Joint Fire Department/EMS, and the Hancock County Coroner. Both vehicles were removed from the scene by R&A Towing.
The crash remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
A Google Maps link to the approximate crash location on State Route 186 south of County Road 97 can be found here: State Route 186 & County Road 97, McComb, Ohio (approximate).
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