(4-8-24) On Saturday two separate injury crashes took place in Van Wert County in Wiilshire Township.

The first crash took place at 4:41 am…Van Wert County Sheriff’s Deputies along with Wren EMS, Willshire Fire and Van Wert Fire responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash on Piqua Road in Willshire Township with a report of subjects being trapped in the water.

Juan CJ Rodriguez (28) of Union City Indiana was driving eastbound on Piqua Rd. 0.2 miles east of Ohio Indiana State Line Rd. and left the left side of the roadway…drove into a flooded ditch and the vehicle began to sink. Rodriguez was able to get out of the vehicle and up to the roadway, the passenger in the vehicle, Sonia Anderson (37) of Union City Indiana, stayed on the vehicle until emergency personnel arrived and then fell into the water and was able to make it to the roadway. Anderson was transported to Adams County Hospital by Wren EMS, Driver of Unit One refused treatment.

Rodriguez was charged with No Operators License and Failure to Control and was transported to the Van Wert County Correctional Facility. The vehicle was towed from the scene by Hague Towing.

The second crash took place at 2:42 pm – Deputies along with Wren Fire and EMS. responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash involving two vehicles in Willshire Township.

Jeffrey A Knittle (55) of Van Wert was northbound on Schumm Road. Unit Two, drive by a Willshire juvenile, was westbound on Willshire Ohio City Road. Knittle failed to stop at the stop sign of Schumm Road and Willshire Ohio City Road. Knittle entered the intersection and struck the juvenile on the driver side. After impact, Knittle went off the left side of the road, hit a stop sign, and rolled and came to rest on its tires in a field on the northwest corner of the intersection. After the impact, the juvenile spun and went off of the right side of the road and came to rest in a ditch on the driver’s side of the vehicle.

Both vehicles were towed from the scene. Knittle was driving a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado and was issued a traffic citation for Failure to Yield the Right of Way. The juvenile was driving a 2008 Ford Ranger.

Three subjects were transported to Van Wert’s Ohio Health. Ohio City Fire and Van Wert Fire assisted at the scene.