A 60-year-old Perrysburg man was killed Monday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on State Route 163 in Benton Township, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The Highway Patrol said the crash happened July 6, 2026, at 2:15 p.m. on SR 163 at Elliston Trowbridge Road in Ottawa County.
Investigators said Joseph Hartford, 19, of Genoa was driving a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu south on Elliston Trowbridge Road when he failed to yield at a stop sign and struck a 2017 Jeep Compass traveling east on SR 163. The Jeep was driven by Danny Avery, 60, of Perrysburg.
According to the patrol, both vehicles left the right side of SR 163 after the collision. Avery’s vehicle overturned, and he was ejected. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hartford was not injured. Neither driver was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, the patrol said.
The crash remains under investigation, and no charges have been filed.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Clay Township Police Department, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Ottawa County Coroner’s Office, Benton Carroll Fire and EMS, and Greer’s Towing.
