The catastrophic wreck of 17-year-old Claudia Phan’s Kia Forte on Hyland Croy Road left a scene so devastating that first responders could see immediately the force involved in the fatal collision. It happened shortly after 7:24 p.m., in the stretch near Johnston Drive in the Dublin–Lewis Center area, where Phan had been driving northbound. For reasons investigators have not yet determined, her vehicle suddenly crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic. In that split second, she entered the path of a southbound Ford Explorer driven by 37-year-old Jason Lyle of Lewis Center.
The impact between the two vehicles was brutal. Both cars veered off to the right side of the roadway after the collision, the force sending them into the grass with twisted metal and shattered glass marking the path. Phan’s Kia was crushed so severely that medics had no chance of saving her. She was pronounced dead at the scene, her injuries far too extensive despite the rapid arrival of emergency crews.
For a community that knew her as a bright, promising young woman, the news of her death spread quickly and hit hard.Inside the Ford Explorer, the Lyle family endured the violent crash with a mix of serious and minor injuries. Jason Lyle suffered significant trauma and was rushed to Riverside Methodist Hospital for urgent treatment.
His wife, 34-year-old Ashley Lyle, sustained only minor injuries but was shaken and evaluated by medical staff. Their two children, ages 7 and 5, were transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital out of caution. Authorities described their injuries as non-life-threatening, though the emotional toll was undeniable
The investigation now focuses on what caused Phan’s sudden leftward drift—whether distraction, a medical episode, road conditions, or mechanical failure played a role. As police reconstruct the crash, the community mourns a young life lost far too soon and hopes for the full recovery of the family who survived.
