DAYTON — Dangerous and reckless driving was blamed for causing at least one deadly crash Tuesday in Montgomery County that killed two people and sent four others to area hospitals.
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Donna Smith, 39, of Fairborn, was identified as the person killed in Tuesday’s crash in Trotwood on Shiloh Springs Road. About 12 hours later, Rayeal Alexander, 14, of Dayton was killed in a crash in Harrison Twp. on North Main Street.
Smith was identified as the driver of a car that crossed the center line on Shiloh Springs Road and crashed head-on into another vehicle. Alexander was one of the passengers in a Nissan car that crashed into a utility pole and parked car on North Main Street near Julia Avenue.
While factors in both crashes are still under investigation, Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said excessive speeds were a factor in the crash that killed Alexander. Streck added instances involving cars traveling at high-rates of speed are still common and have led to tragic results.
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“When you run a vehicle at 70, 80, even 100 mph into objects that don’t move its never going to turn out right and unfortunately that’s what’s happening right now,” Streck told News Center 7′s Mike Campbell Wednesday.
“We have to find a way to slow people down or at least get them following traffic control devices because there are too many people being injured at this point.”
Streck cited the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the reasons for the increase in excessive speeds and reckless driving. As more cars have returned to the road since 2020, his department has been dealing with more instances of dangerous driving.
“I’m sure everybody has been on the road where individuals, whether its on the highway or whether its through our city streets are driving at outrageous speeds, running red lights, running stop signs. Its just something since about 2020 that has really increased,” Streck said.
“When you’re dealing with the highways and you’re just driving down the highway and you’re being passed by cars doing well over 100 mph its just unfortunate its becoming the norm.”
Streck said juveniles have often become the victims during of instances of dangerous driving, like the crash involving Alexander.
“It wasn’t that long ago where teens driving at a tremendous rate of speed hit an RTA bus and were injured. Its one thing to think that people are out having a good time and they can drive how they want, but unfortunately its ending in tragedy a lot of the time,” he said.
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