Medina woman dies when tree falls on vehicle
Infant child receives minor injuries after tree falls on vehicle
A wreath was placed at the location where Devon Cook, 28, was killed after a falling tree hit her vehicle on River Styx Road the afternoon of Aug. 4. Her young daughter was also in the vehicle was was injured. Photo by ALLISON WOOD
MONTVILLE – A Medina mother of two was killed the afternoon of Aug. 4 after a tree struck her vehicle while driving on River Styx Road.
At 1:17 p.m., the Montville Police Department along with LST and the Medina Fire Department responded to an injury crash on River Styx Road between Turnberry Drive and Lake Ridge Drive.
Devon R. Cook, 28, and her infant daughter Victoria were traveling south on River Styx Road near Austin Badger Park when a large tree fell from the east side of the road. Immediately after, Cook’s vehicle was struck by the tree, it veered left off of the roadway and into the woods.
The tree struck the passenger compartment of the vehicle with the area of the driver’s seat sustaining the most damage. Cook died on scene as a result of her injuries and the child was transported to Medina Hospital Cleveland Clinic after suffering minor injuries. The crash occurred shortly after a storm moved through the area with high winds.
The crash is still under investigation, but there were no other vehicles involved.
“What an absolute tragedy. This was unbelievable,” said Montivlle Police Chief Terry Grice.
Emergency crews and representatives that responded to the scene include: The Montville Police Department, Medina Fire Department, Sharon Township Fire Department, Granger Township Fire Department, Life Support Team the Medina County Sheriff’s Office and the Medina Township Police Department.
Cook is survived by her son Cayden and daughter Victoria and was employed at Medina Pediatric Dentistry, where she was an assistant.
The crash occurred on a busy day for local first responders; crews were responding to a house fire caused by a lightning strike nearby on Emerald Lakes Drive around the same time as the crash and a vehicle also rolled over on Interstate 71 southbound in Medina Township, causing backups.
The River Styx crash occurred in the same area as another fatal wreck almost exactly three years ago on Aug. 3, 2014 that killed driver Katherine Babak, 16, of Bath Township. Two other teenage girls in the vehicle suffered severe injuries.
Jeremy Goodrich, 27, of Rittman, the driver who hit Babak’s vehicle, received 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony, and other counts in 2015. He was presumably high on methamphetamine at the time of the crash.
At 1:17 p.m., the Montville Police Department along with LST and the Medina Fire Department responded to an injury crash on River Styx Road between Turnberry Drive and Lake Ridge Drive.
Devon R. Cook, 28, and her infant daughter Victoria were traveling south on River Styx Road near Austin Badger Park when a large tree fell from the east side of the road. Immediately after, Cook’s vehicle was struck by the tree, it veered left off of the roadway and into the woods.
The tree struck the passenger compartment of the vehicle with the area of the driver’s seat sustaining the most damage. Cook died on scene as a result of her injuries and the child was transported to Medina Hospital Cleveland Clinic after suffering minor injuries. The crash occurred shortly after a storm moved through the area with high winds.
The crash is still under investigation, but there were no other vehicles involved.
“What an absolute tragedy. This was unbelievable,” said Montivlle Police Chief Terry Grice.
Emergency crews and representatives that responded to the scene include: The Montville Police Department, Medina Fire Department, Sharon Township Fire Department, Granger Township Fire Department, Life Support Team the Medina County Sheriff’s Office and the Medina Township Police Department.
Cook is survived by her son Cayden and daughter Victoria and was employed at Medina Pediatric Dentistry, where she was an assistant.
The crash occurred on a busy day for local first responders; crews were responding to a house fire caused by a lightning strike nearby on Emerald Lakes Drive around the same time as the crash and a vehicle also rolled over on Interstate 71 southbound in Medina Township, causing backups.
The River Styx crash occurred in the same area as another fatal wreck almost exactly three years ago on Aug. 3, 2014 that killed driver Katherine Babak, 16, of Bath Township. Two other teenage girls in the vehicle suffered severe injuries.
Jeremy Goodrich, 27, of Rittman, the driver who hit Babak’s vehicle, received 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicular homicide, a second-degree felony, and other counts in 2015. He was presumably high on methamphetamine at the time of the crash.