A 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck struck a telephone box, crossed the roadway and ended up in a soybean field after a series of impacts that claimed the life of its driver, 62-year-old Jeffrey Harris. The crash happened Saturday afternoon in Highland County, Ohio. A juvenile passenger inside the truck survived without injuries.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. on October 31, 2026, along New Vienna Road near Gist Settlement Road in Penn Township.
Harris, who was from London, Ohio, was traveling westbound when his pickup truck left the left side of the roadway. The vehicle struck a telephone box before crossing the road and moving toward the opposite side.
The truck then left the right side of the roadway and struck a ditch. Its movement continued until it came to a stop in a cut soybean field. The series of impacts left the driver dead.
Members of the Clinton-Highland Joint Fire Department responded to the scene and pronounced Harris dead. He was 62 years old.
A juvenile passenger was also traveling in the pickup truck at the time. Despite the crash, the young passenger escaped without injuries, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The incident is being investigated by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Authorities have not yet established or announced what caused the truck to leave the roadway.
The Highland County Sheriff’s Office and the Highland County Coroner’s Office assisted during the response. No additional information about possible contributing factors was provided.
Harris’ death turned an afternoon trip into a fatal crash, leaving his family to deal with the loss. The fact that the juvenile passenger survived without injury stands out as one of the few positive details from the incident.
The investigation remains open as authorities work to determine the circumstances behind the crash on New Vienna Road.
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