SMITH TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A Smith Township man was severely injured Wednesday afternoon after a two-vehicle crash at a Mahoning County intersection sent a car careening into the zero-turn mower he was riding, ejecting him an estimated 30 feet.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol says the crash happened at 12:34 p.m. on Bandy Road at the intersection with Alliance-Sebring Road. Michael McDaniel was riding his mower on the grass beside the road, a half-mile from his family’s home, on his way to mow his grandfather’s yard. His 19-year-old son, Michael Jr., was following behind him in a pickup truck and witnessed the crash unfold.
Investigators say a sport utility vehicle ran a stop sign and collided with a westbound car, pushing that car into McDaniel’s mower. The patrol cited the SUV driver, a 35-year-old Alliance woman driving a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse, for failing to yield. The other car, a 2005 Honda Accord, was driven by a 21-year-old pregnant woman from Beloit, who was treated for minor injuries. McDaniel’s family members said they heard her baby is doing fine.
McDaniel was flown by medical helicopter to a Youngstown-area hospital, and his family has been at his side since. Family members, who said they do not blame the driver of the Accord, described McDaniel as an innocent bystander who was simply mowing grass. The patrol’s investigation into the crash continues.
Four children and seven grandchildren, with an eighth grandchild on the way, are waiting for him to come home, the family said. “He has grandbabies who love him and want him to come home,” relatives told reporters. Anyone with information about the crash can contact the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Canfield post.