A 7-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle last night on State Route 89 in rural Ashland County and airlifted to Akron Children’s Hospital, in a crash that closed the highway for roughly an hour and left the boy dazed and unable to communicate with first responders. Emergency crews were dispatched around 8:30 p.m. to the 1200 block of State Route 89, where the boy had reportedly entered the roadway, according to an Ohio State Highway Patrol Ashland post trooper.
According to ACP News, the boy is nonverbal and autistic, and he appeared dazed at the scene, complicating efforts by emergency personnel to communicate with him. The 60-year-old Lorain man driving the vehicle was traveling north on State Route 89 at the time and remained at the scene afterward. As of last night, the full extent of the boy’s injuries and his condition were both unknown, the outlet reported.
Multiple Agencies Respond, Highway Closed
The crash drew a heavy emergency response, with the Polk Jackson Fire Department & EMS, Ashland EMS, the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Ashland post all responding, per the same account. State Route 89 was closed for approximately one hour while crews worked the scene. The boy was ultimately flown to Akron Children’s Hospital by Metro Life Flight, the critical care air transport service operated by Cleveland’s MetroHealth System, which has completed more than 90,000 air medical missions since it launched in 1982.
Akron Children’s Hospital is verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, one of only five such facilities in Ohio, according to Akron Children’s Hospital. That designation reflects the highest level of specialized emergency trauma care available for pediatric patients, which is why the boy was flown well beyond the nearest local hospital rather than treated closer to the crash site.
No Charges Filed as Investigation Continues
No charges have been filed against the driver, and investigators found no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash. Ohio Revised Code Section 4511.48 requires pedestrians crossing outside a marked or unmarked intersection crosswalk to yield the right-of-way to oncoming vehicles, according to the Ohio General Assembly, a statute that helps explain why troopers did not immediately pursue charges against the driver. State Route 89 carries a default statutory speed limit of 55 miles per hour on unposted rural stretches outside municipal limits, per the Ohio Department of Public Safety, and the highway runs entirely through eastern Ashland County’s Jackson Township, linking U.S. Routes 30, 42, and 250 as a key regional corridor.
Wandering Is a Documented Risk for Autistic Children
The child’s name is being withheld because he is a juvenile, and the crash remains under investigation by authorities. The boy’s difficulty communicating with emergency personnel at the scene reflects a well-documented pattern among autistic children who wander from safe environments, a behavior clinicians call elopement. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that 49% of children with autism spectrum disorder attempt to elope after age 4, a rate nearly four times higher than their non-autistic siblings, according to the National Autism Association…