WEST SALEM TOWNSHIP — A Fowler, Ohio, man was killed Tuesday afternoon when his pickup truck hit a tree in West Salem Township.
Ronald Gates, 67, was westbound on Vernon Road at about 1:40 p.m. when his truck went off the right side of the road, patrolman Robert Robinson of Greenville-West Salem Township police said Wednesday.
The truck hit an embankment on Hilltop Road and a bush, spinning the vehicle to the left. The driver’s side of the truck then hit a tree near a home at 741 Vernon Road, Robinson said.
Gates was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:20 p.m. by Mercer County Deputy Coroner Cris H. Loutzenhiser, who ruled the death accidental from chest injuries.
Gates was alone in the truck and was wearing a seatbelt, Robinson said.
