BRANDON — Three people were injured, one seriously, in a crash Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Sycamore Road and Ohio 661 (Granville Road) in Brandon.
Eight-year-old Jun Seok Yu of Columbus was taken by MedFlight to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus for treatment of serious injuries he sustained when he was ejected from the Honda Odyssey minivan he was riding in. According to Sgt. Cortrell McCruter of the Mount Gilead Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the child was sleeping on the backseat, and was not wearing a seat belt. Five other family members were in the van.
McCruter said the boy’s father, Yeon Tae Yu, 44, Columbus, was driving westbound on Sycamore Road when he failed to stop at a stop sign, and struck a Kenworth semitrailer driven by Juan Casillas, 31, of California. The Honda then spun into a utility pole. McCruter said the child was ejected out of the broken out rear window of the van as it spun into the pole.
The semitrailer veered from the road into a house on Ohio 661; McCruter said the truck narrowly missed striking a second house. The truck driver was not charged, but residents who live near the intersection say the stretch of Ohio 661 has a 45 mph speed limit they would like to see lowered because of safety concerns.
Granville Road resident Patti Allen said concerns about speeding vehicles force most residents to keep their children and pets out of front yards.
“They just don’t pay any attention,” she said of drivers who speed through the intersection.
Looking at the semitrailer in his neighbor’s yard, where it came to rest after striking the house, Justin Staten said his dog was struck and killed on the road a couple of years ago, and he and his wife never let their children play in front of the house because of fears about speeding traffic.
“Nobody slows down,” Staten said regarding the speed limit, which lowers from 55 to 45 mph outside Brandon. “People don’t go 45 through here.”
Two other passengers in the minivan, 16-year-old Ji Young Yu, and Sun Kim, 44, were also injured. They were both transported by squad to Knox Community Hospital, where they were treated and released. Ji Young Yu remains at Children’s in stable condition, according to the patrol.
The Homer Fire Department responded with an engine and a squad, and received mutual aid from the Mount Vernon Fire Department and Utica EMS.
Homer Assistant Fire Chief Randy King lives near the scene of the accident and was on the scene quickly.
“I called for MedFlight right away because the boy was ejected,” King said.
Yeon Tae Yu was cited for failure to yield at a stop sign, and for not having his son restrained with a seat belt. McCruter said the seriousness of the injuries the young boy suffered illustrate the difference seat belts can make in a crash.
He said drivers and passengers not buckled up stand the chance of much more serious injuries in a collision.
“If you’re involved in a crash, there’s a good possibility if a window is broken or a door is opened, you could be ejected,” McCruter said. “It’s very fortunate this boy wasn’t killed.”
