PREBLE COUNTY — The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) is releasing new details about the crash that killed two people, including a Preble County Sheriff’s deputy earlier this month.
The update came less than an hour after we showed you the new dash camera we obtained today on News Center 7 at noon.
>> ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Preble County deputy, second driver killed after head-on crash
A spokesperson for OSHP said Deputy Josh Hamilton was driving northbound on State Route 503 when an unidentified vehicle passed him southbound “at what appears to be above the posted speed limit.”
Hamilton turned around in a driveway, which was also shown in the dash camera video, and troopers said he then proceeded to try and catch up with the southbound vehicle. Troopers confirmed to News Center 7 that Hamilton did not have his emergency lights activated at the time of the crash.
“A short time later, Deputy Hamilton’s cruiser goes left of center as he enters the curve just north of Ray Road, where the fatal crash occurred,” troopers said.
The dash camera video obtained by News Center 7 on Friday showed Hamilton driving down the road and crossing the center line while going around the curve. As that happens, headlights can be seen coming from the other direction. The video stops before the crash happens.
>> PHOTOS: Deputy, second driver killed in head-on crash in Preble County
The collision killed Hamilton, 34, and the driver of the other vehicle, 36-year-old Michael Gayhart.
Hamilton had served with the sheriff’s department since May of last year, first as a jail deputy, then the last six months, out on the streets as a road deputy. His death marked the first line-of-duty death in the history of the Preble County Sheriff’s Office.
Preble County Sheriff Mike Simpson told News Center 7 last week that Hamilton’s death has been “tough for everybody” and remembered the kind of person and worker he was.
“He had a sense of humor, but he came in (and) did his job. Solid worker,” Simpson said.
The crash remains under investigation.
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