Juvenile Riding Bicycle Dies After Being Struck by Pick-Up
Chester Township – On Friday, January 2, 2026, at 5:43 PM, the Wooster Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol received a report of a vehicle–bicycle crash on Smithville Western Road near Ogden Road in Chester Township, Wayne County.
A 2023 Ram 1500 was traveling eastbound on Smithville Western Road when it struck a juvenile who was also traveling eastbound on a bicycle. The juvenile and bicycle traveled off the north side of the roadway as a result of the crash. The driver of the Ram remained on scene until responding units arrived.
The juvenile, a 14‑year‑old male from Wooster, Ohio, was transported to Wooster Community Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The driver of the Ram, Robert R. Ross, 30, of Ashland, Ohio, was not injured.
Assisting at the scene were the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, New Pittsburgh Fire and EMS, and Accelerate Towing and Recovery.
Drugs and alcohol are not suspected as factors in the crash. The crash remains under investigation.
