Chester Township, Ohio — 22-Year-Old Benjamin Stearns Killed in Early-Morning Crash on Center Road In the quiet early hours of Tuesday morning, tragedy struck on Center Road in **Chester Township, Ohio**, when **22-year-old Benjamin Stearns** lost his life in a devastating single-vehicle crash. It was just before **2:30 a.m.** when Stearns’s eastbound **2017 Kia
Forte** veered off the right side of the road and collided head-on with a tree, the impact so severe that responders say it ended his life instantly.When medics and deputies arrived at the scene, they found Stearns alone in the vehicle. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, and despite immediate medical assessment, there was nothing that could be done to save him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The **Ohio State Highway Patrol**, assisted by the **Clinton County Sheriff’s Office**, is leading the investigation. Preliminary findings suggest that several factors — including **speed, fatigue, road conditions, and limited visibility** — may have contributed to the accident. Investigators are also working to determine whether impairment played any role, though no immediate evidence of such has been confirmed.
The section of Center Road near the crash site remained **closed for several hours** as troopers documented the scene and the vehicle was removed from the area. Tire marks and debris stretched across the shoulder — quiet reminders of how quickly a moment can turn fatal.
Friends and family of Benjamin Stearns are now grappling with the sudden loss of a young man whose life was just beginning. In a community shaken by his death, authorities are once again urging drivers to wear seatbelts, slow down, and stay alert — simple measures that can mean the difference between life and death on dark rural roads.
