Putnam Crash Claims Life

A two-vehicle crash Wednes­day morn­ing in Put­nam County left one man dead.

I hap­pened on Ohio 115 near Put­nam County Road M in Union Town­ship just before 5:30 yes­ter­day morn­ing, when a trac­tor trailer dri­ven by 36 year old Shane Baker of Fre­mont, Indi­ana was attempt­ing to back into a pri­vate drive, and a vehi­cle dri­ven by 80 year old Adrian Birkemier, of Colum­bus Grove, slammed into the left side of Baker’s trailer, which was com­pletely block­ing the road­way at the time.

Birkemier’s vehi­cle got stuck under­neath the trailer, trap­ping Birkemier in the vehi­cle.

Res­cue crews had to use tools to get him out of the wreck­age. Birkemier died at the scene.

The crash remains under inves­ti­ga­tion today.