MOUNT LIBERTY — A deer went through the windshield of a van injuring four young men Sunday at 6 a.m. The crash was a mile west of Mount Liberty on U.S. 36/Ohio 3. The Ohio State Highway Patrol said they were westbound when the deer jumped in front of the 1991 Oldsmobile and crashed through the windshield.
The van traveled off the right side of the road rolling 600 feet before coming to rest behind a guardrail. The driver, Ruben Diaz, 23, Mount Vernon, was critically injured when he was hit by the deer. He was taken to Centerburg High School by the Central Ohio Joint Fire District and flown by MedFlight to the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. He is currently in critical condition.
Felix Diaz, 20, Mount Vernon, the front seat passenger, was taken by squad to Grant Medical Center. He is listed in good condition. Gerardo Diaz, 26, Mount Vernon, and Serafine Aruizn, Centerburg, were taken to Knox Community Hospital by the Mount Vernon Fire Department. Both Gerardo Diaz and Aruizn were treated and released.
U.S. 36/Ohio 3 was closed for more than an hour while troopers investigated. Knox County Sheriff’s deputies helped with traffic control.
