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Woman injured in Elm Road crash

Teens lend hand in accident

060618...R CRASH 2...Howland...06-06-18...Emergency personel attend to a head-on two car crash on Elm Rd. Wed. afternoon...by R. Michael Semple

WARREN — When Cassidy Podach heard the sound of a head-on collision Wednesday, the 16-year-old was transported in her mind to the scene of a car crash in February in Florida that claimed her father’s life.

On her way from Warren to Mosquito Lake for a day of fishing, Podach and best friend Cierra Lelesch, 18, ran to the aid of the woman.

The woman was driving north on Elm Road near Echo Lanes bowling alley when another vehicle heading south attempted to make a left turn, hitting the woman’s vehicle nearly head on. The victim transported to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital with moderate injuries. The air bags in her car went off, giving her a bloody face.

When Podach and Lelesch got out of the car, after blocking traffic to protect the scene of the crash in the five-lane road, they heard her calling for help and ran to her. Her door was hard to open, but the bystanders were able to yank it open with effort, Podach said.

Podach last spoke to her father on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. On Feb. 16, in Florida, a drunk driver caused a three-car crash that took the life of her father, Joby Podach, 35.

Podach is convinced if police and emergency medical assistance had arrived earlier, her father would be alive. That is why she called 911 so quickly, she said.

And the reason they knew to block traffic from the crash scene? At the scene of the accident that claimed her father’s life, no one did that. And someone drove straight through the wreckage, running over another person that had been ejected in the accident, she said.

“That person didn’t make it. I didn’t want to see that happen here,” Podach said.

Podach said she was happy to see how quickly troopers from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, firefighters and police officers from Howland arrived at the scene.

“They came fast. Response time, I think it’s something people just expect to be immediate. But in some places they aren’t fast enough and it could really mean the difference in someone living or dying,” Podach said.

Podach and Lelesch tried to keep the woman awake. When she said she was tired and just wanted to sleep, the girls wouldn’t let her.

“It is what you do. It is common sense. It is what I wish I could have done for my dad, but couldn’t. She might be a total stranger, but I wish a total stranger had tried to help my dad,” Podach said.

Lelesch said she and Podach, who will be attending Warren G. Harding High School in the fall as senior and junior, respectively, might be considered young to run into the aftermath of an accident and try to help.

“But we aren’t brave. When you see something like this right in front of you, you have to act. You can’t leave people like that,” Lelesch said. The young women noted how many vehicles kept traveling, just waiting for a chance to pass the two wrecked vehicles as they waited on emergency personnel and struggled to pry the woman’s car door open.

“But she has a family to go back to, and I am just thankful she can do that today. I want to call her, I don’t know her name, and see if she is OK. No matter what happens, you can’t leave any situation with any person you love with hate in your heart. Because you don’t know when something like this might happen,” Podach said.

The driver of the other vehicle is expected to be charged with failure to lead, according to state troopers at the scene. A crash report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol was unavailable Wednesday night.

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