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Four Killed in Vinton Co. Crash, Including Athens High Schooler
< < Back to four-killed-in-vinton-co-crash-including-athens-high-schoolerA two-vehicle crash claimed the lives of four people including an Athens High School senior.
The crash occurred Wednesday at the intersection of State Route 56 and State Route 93. According to Ohio State Highway Patrol investigators, a 1997 Toyota Corolla was travelling westbound on 56 when the driver, Lisa R. Foerster, failed to yield at a stop sign, pulling into the path of a 2009 Sterling truck which was travelling southbound on 93.
The truck, owned by Rumpke of Cincinnati, struck the Carolla on the right side, causing it to rotate and come off the road. The car struck a guard rail on the southwest side of the intersection, according to a highway patrol report.
The truck pulled off to the right berm of 93.
“All four occupants in the Toyota Corolla suffered fatal injuries as a result of the crash,” the report stated.
Foerster, 55; Thomas J. Hamel, 18; Emma C. Hamel, 19; and Lorraine E. Alsterberg, 57, died as a result of the crash.
Foerster and the Hamels are from Athens, Alsterberg was from Tigard, Oregon.
Hamel was a senior at Athens High School. Foerster was an assistant professor of voice with the Ohio University College of Fine Arts and a native of Oregon.
According to the profile on Ohio University’s website, Foerster had sung opera, musicals and recitals in the United States and Germany.
The Vinton County Coroner’s Office confirmed that Foerster was the mother to both Thomas and Emma Hamel, and sister to Alsterberg.
The driver of the truck, George S. Stout, 27, of Albany, did not report any injuries.
Investigators say seat belts were available in both vehicles and in use.
The Vinton County Sheriff’s Office, the McArthur Fire Department, Vinton County Emergency Medical Services, the Vinton County Coroner’s Office and the Ohio Department of Transportation all assisted at the scene.