WARREN COUNTY — A family is searching for answers after a 17-year-old was killed in a car crash in Warren County earlier this month.
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As previously reported, the crash happened around 10 p.m. on State Route 741 near milepost 6 in Turtlecreek Township on March 13.
Dylan Sougstad, 17, of Cincinnati and Chasity Smith, 53, of Trenton, were both killed in this crash.
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An initial investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol found that Sougstad was driving a Tesla Model 3 south on SR 741 when he crossed the center line and hit the oncoming GMC Terrain.
Smith was driving the GMC.
Both drivers died on scene of the crash.
“As a father of a teenage boy, you’re always worried that they’re now just out there running around, doing stupid stuff when they learn how to drive, and he wasn’t. He was a good kid,” Steve Sougstad said.
Dylan’s parents, Steve and Lori Taylor, are pleading for key witnesses to come forward.
Our media partner, WCPO-9 TV, spoke with Dylan’s parents about their efforts.
“I just know that there were two other people involved ... they haven’t called in with the statement, and I just really wish they would,” Taylor said. “We do have a Tesla, and we are getting the photos, and we will know, and it would be just so great if we didn’t have to wait as long as we’re going to for the information that we’re eventually going to get.”
Tesla has cameras that record other vehicles and the surroundings while driving and parked.
“I want to send my love and my prayers to the person who didn’t make it, Chastity, because she had a family too that loved her,” Taylor said.
Dylan attended the Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and was a student-athlete, WCPO-9 reported.
He leaves behind four siblings, including a twin brother.
Dylan’s family described him to our media partner as a loving, kind, amazing athlete who loved soccer and his team.
“Coach would call him his Swiss Army knife, and he would put him anywhere on the field,” Taylor said. “You couldn’t beat him, he’s so fast.”
Steve said he’s been moved by the support of his son’s peers since his passing.
“(I) was really blown away by the amount of kids that came up to me and told me all these stories about how he was there for them,” Sougstad said. “How he loved them, how he had helped them out.”
His mother said the crash happened after a game “on the most dangerous road in Cincinnati.”
Now the family is working on a memorial and scholarship through the school to inspire others to be positive, WCPO-9 reported.
“He’s not perfect by any stretch, but he was a good kid, and parents just cherish every moment,” Steve said.
Anyone who witnessed this crash is asked to contact the Ohio State Highway Patrol Lebanon Post.
This crash remains under investigation.
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