CLINTON COUNTY, OHIO (THECOUNT) — Joshua Nathaniel Pagett, of Lynchburg, Ohio, has been identified as the motorcyclist killed after the bike struck by a minivan in Clinton County, Ohio on Friday afternoon, the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Wilmington Post reported.
The crash occurred after the minivan failed to yield on Farmers Road in Washington Township. Pagett was ejected from his motorcycle after the collision. He was airlifted to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, and later pronounced dead. He was 33 years old.
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The driver of the minivan, Orlando Beverly, 71, of Wilmington, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
According to the OSHP Wilmington Post, the crash occurred at approximately 1:22 p.m. on April 24 on Farmers Road near Murphy Road in Washington Township. Beverly was operating a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country van and was attempting to enter Farmers Road from a private driveway when he failed to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic. Pagett, traveling southeast on Farmers Road on a 2003 Yamaha XVS650C, struck the van. The motorcycle then traveled off the left side of the road and Pagett was ejected. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Beverly, who was wearing a seatbelt, sustained minor injuries and was treated on scene by Wilmington Fire and EMS.
CareFlight transported Pagett by air to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton with serious, life-threatening injuries. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Assisting agencies at the scene included the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, Wilmington Fire and EMS, the Clinton County Coroner’s Office, and B&G Automotive. The Wilmington Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation. No charges had been announced as of the time of this report.
Farmers Road is a rural two-lane highway in Washington Township, Clinton County, running through open agricultural terrain in the western portion of the county. The crash site near Murphy Road lies in an area of scattered residential properties and farmland with private driveways intersecting the roadway without traffic signals or stop signs, a configuration common on rural county roads throughout southwest Ohio. Washington Township is one of several townships in the western portion of Clinton County south of State Route 28.
Clinton County is located in southwest Ohio, approximately 40 miles northeast of Cincinnati and 50 miles southwest of Columbus. The county seat is Wilmington, a city of approximately 12,000 residents that is home to Wilmington College and serves as the commercial hub for the surrounding rural townships. Clinton County had a population of approximately 42,000 as of the 2020 census and covers roughly 411 square miles of gently rolling farmland in the Till Plains region of southwestern Ohio.
Lynchburg, where Pagett resided, is a village in Highland County immediately southeast of Clinton County, with a population of approximately 1,300 as of the 2020 census. The community is situated along U.S. Route 50 approximately 15 miles southeast of Wilmington. Highland County borders Clinton County to the south and east, and residents of the two counties regularly commute and travel through shared rural road networks, including Farmers Road.
Miami Valley Hospital, where Pagett was pronounced dead, is a major Level I trauma center in Dayton operated by Premier Health. It serves as the primary regional trauma facility for the Miami Valley region of southwest Ohio and handles the most severe trauma cases transported by CareFlight air medical services from surrounding rural counties including Clinton, Highland, and Fayette.
Ohio does not require motorcycle helmets for riders 18 and older, provided they carry the appropriate insurance and have held a motorcycle endorsement for at least one year, or have completed a safety course. OSHP noted Pagett was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Failure to yield from private drives and driveways is among the most common causes of rural intersection crashes in Ohio, particularly on two-lane county roads where approaching traffic may not be visible until it is in close proximity.
The approximate location of the fatal crash on Farmers Road near Murphy Road in Washington Township, Clinton County, can be viewed on Google Maps (approximate).
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Editor’s Note: According to Facebook. Pagett is from Wilmington, however, multiple OSHP-sourced news outlets and the official OSHP release indicate he was from Lynchburg, Ohio. Article reflects official verified information.