Man injured in accident near Bettsville

BETTSVILLE — A Lakeside-Marblehead man was injured in an accident on West SR 12 Sunday afternoon. Trooper Donte Hanns of the Fremont post of State Highway Patrol said Efrain Perez, 59, of Lakeside-Marblehead, was traveling west on West SR 12 in a 2018 Jeep Wrangler with Terri Slane, 51; Kristi Slane, 30; and Jeanette Walcome, 39, all of Fremont. Sgt. Kent Jeffries of the Fremont post of State Highway Patrol said Perez started violently coughing and he blacked out, and the Jeep started going off the right side of the road. Terri Slane grabbed the wheel to attempt to steer the Jeep and it struck a tree, then a gas line before coming to a rest in a yard at 3875 W. SR 12, he said. Jeffries said Perez was transported by Bettsville EMS to Mercy Health — Tiffin Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. He said one house was evacuated and West SR 12 was closed around the scene as a precaution. West SR 12 was closed from American Legion Post 733 to North CR 11. The Swickard Gas Co. responded to the scene and Hanns said the gas was shut off. Jeffries said the accident was under investigation and a citation had not been issued Sunday evening. Hanns said Efrain Perez, Terri Slane and Jeanette Walcome were wearing seatbelts, but Kristi Slane was not. The accident was reported at 4:26 p.m. and Bettsville EMS, Bettsville Volunteer Fire Department, the Echo unit, Seneca County Sheriff's Office, State Highway Patrol, Swickard Gas Co. and Madison Motors responded to the scene.