The community of Newcomerstown, Ohio, is enveloped in grief following a heart-wrenching three-vehicle crash on Interstate 77 in Oxford Township that claimed the life of 18-year-old Ava Stamets. The devastating incident, which unfolded on Thursday, August 21, 2025, has left family, friends, and neighbors grappling with the sudden loss of a vibrant young woman whose life was cut tragically short.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) detailed the catastrophic sequence of events that occurred around 2:18 p.m. near milepost 63. Ava, driving a silver 2010 Honda CR-V northbound, inexplicably veered across the grassy median, crossing into the southbound lanes of I-77. Her SUV collided head-on with a white Ford F-150 driven by 50-year-old Donald Kalman, who was traveling south in the left lane. The force of the impact sent Kalman’s truck careening off the road, where it overturned in a violent roll. Ava’s Honda, spinning out of control from the initial collision, then struck a blue 2022 Ram 1500 driven by 38-year-old Samuel Hartman in the right lane. Both Ava’s vehicle and Hartman’s truck veered off the roadway, crashing into a guardrail with a sickening crunch of metal.

Emergency responders raced to the scene, their sirens piercing the afternoon air, but for Ava, help came too late. The Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office pronounced the 18-year-old dead at the scene, a heartbreaking loss that has sent shockwaves through her tight-knit community. Six others involved in the crash—Kalman, Hartman, and four passengers in Hartman’s vehicle—sustained injuries described as minor. They were swiftly transported to Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center in Cambridge for treatment, their lives spared but forever marked by the day’s events.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is piecing together the moments leading up to the tragedy, with early investigations suggesting that drugs or alcohol may have contributed to the crash. Toxicology reports are pending, and authorities are working diligently to uncover the full circumstances behind Ava’s fatal crossing of the median. The Ohio Department of Transportation labored for hours to clear the wreckage and manage traffic disruptions, as southbound I-77 became a somber reminder of the fragility of life.

In Newcomerstown, Ava Stamets is remembered not as a statistic but as a beloved daughter, friend, and classmate whose light shone brightly in her 18 years. Her sudden absence leaves a void that words cannot fill, and her community rallies to honor her memory while supporting those she left behind. As the investigation continues, this tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable dangers on our highways, urging us all to cherish every moment with those we hold dear.