Deputies: Ohio man ingested meth before crash that injured Randolph County couple

WINCHESTER, Ind. — An Ohio man is accused of ingesting meth before causing a traffic accident in Randolph County that severely injured three other people.

Daniel James Harlow, 39, was charged in recent days in Randolph Superior Court with three counts of causing serious bodily injury when driving with a controlled substance in his system, a Level 5 felony carrying up to six years in prison.

Harlow — of Ansonia, located in Darke County, Ohio, about 20 miles northeast of Winchester — is also charged with possession of meth and possession of marijuana. According to an affidavit, blood tests showed the Ohio man had both of those substances in his system at the time of the crash, on Dec. 28, 2022.

Investigators with the Randolph County Sheriff's Department said Harlow, driving a 2005 Honda Pilot, ran a red light at U.S. 36 and U.S. 27 and struck a 2020 Nissan Rouge driven by a 71-year-old Union City woman.

According to court documents, the Union City woman and her husband, 76 at the time of the crash, suffered brain bleeds and broken ribs at a result of the collision. They were at first taken by ambulance to Reid Hospital in Richmond and were later transferred to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where they were treated for several days.

A passenger in Harlow's SUV also suffered head injuries in the crash and was flown from the scene in a medical helicopter. In that affidavit, a deputy reported his efforts to learn more about that man's injuries were unsuccessful.

After the crash, Harlow was taken to St. Vincent Randolph Hospital in Winchester for a blood draw. A container that held meth and marijuana was reportedly found in his vehicle.

The crash was recorded by a surveillance camera at a convenience store at the intersection of the two federal highways.

A trial date in the Randolph Superior Court case has apparently not yet been set.

The Union City couple in February 2023 filed a Randolph Circuit Court lawsuit against Harlow and his insurance carrier, Erie Insurance Exchange. That case is still pending.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Deputies: Ohio man ingested meth before crash that injured Randolph County couple