CHILLICOTHE, OH — A tragic multi-vehicle accident claimed the life of a pedestrian late Monday night on North Bridge Street, leaving local authorities searching for a driver who fled the scene.
According to a Chillicothe Police Department traffic crash report, the incident occurred at approximately 9:05 PM on April 27, 2026, near the 1525 block of North Bridge Street.
The Initial Collision
The investigation, led by Officer Shelby Lott, indicates that Terry D. French, 67, of Kingston, was traveling northbound in the right-hand lane of North Bridge Street in a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado.
A pedestrian, identified as Robert Eugene Duffy, 52, reportedly walked into the path of traffic. The police narrative states that French attempted to swerve his pickup truck to the right to avoid a collision, running off the roadway and onto the sidewalk. Despite the evasive maneuver, the vehicle’s left mirror struck Duffy. The impact and the curb jump resulted in disabling damage to the truck’s front right tire, requiring it to be towed from the scene.
The Hit-and-Run
The tragedy escalated moments later. While Duffy was lying in the roadway following the initial strike, a secondd vehicle—identified by police as a 2005 Toyota RAV4—struck Duffy again. The report states the second vehicle dragged Duffy several feet before the driver continued North and fled the scene without stopping.
The fleeing vehicle was later identified through investigation as belonging to Ashley A. Lowry, 34, of Chillicothe. The crash report has marked this unit as a “Hit/Skip” and the investigation remains ongoing regarding the driver’s actions.
Emergency Response
Chillicothe Fire Dept. EMS arrived on the scene within minutes and transported Duffy to Adena Regional Medical Center. Despite life-saving efforts, he was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
The reporting officers noted that the road conditions were wet at the time of the crash due to rain, and the area was dark but equipped with street lighting. Neither French nor Lowry were reported to have sustained injuries.
The Chillicothe Police Department cleared the scene by 10:00 PM. No charges have been officially listed in the preliminary report, though the incident remains a “solved” hit-and-run investigation.
