Warren County official one of 2 killed in I-71 crash
WASHINGTON TWP., WARREN
A crash Tuesday COUNTY — on Interstate 71 in Clinton County claimed the life of one of the leading members of Washington Twp., a rural community in Warren County.
Karen Stutrud, 63, of Oregonia, was the long-time fiscal officer for the rural township in eastern Warren County and secretary for the Olive Branch United Methodist Church.
Stutrud was one of two people killed in a crash about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate 71 when a southbound semi-trailer driven by Sam Hussein, 43, of Columbus, lost control and crossed the median into northbound lanes and struck Stutrud’s sedan and another semi head-on, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol.
She and the other semidriver, Timothy Brown Sr., 55, of Lewisburg, Tenn., were pronounced dead at the scene. Hussein and his passenger, Mohamud Mohamed, 76, of Columbus, suffered non-life threatening injuries.
“Karen was just one of the most giving, community minded people,” Scott Hagemeyer, board trustee president, said. “We lost one of the most important outgoing community minded people we have known.”
In addition to the township’s finances, Stutrud managed the township website.
“Karen did a really phenomenal job of keeping the public up to date about what was going on in Washington Twp.,” Hagemeyer added.
Stutrud was also an active supporter of Your Father’s Kitchen, a food service for a homeless shelter in Wilmington.
“She knew most of them by their first name,” Hagemeyer said.
Stutrud was running for re-election in November.
The crash, in Clinton County, about 10 miles north of the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge, shut down the interstate in both directions for hours.
Reported at 2:36 p.m., the crash was apparently triggered by the blowout of the left front tire of Hussein’s semi.