A 29-year-old Ohio woman lost her life Monday morning after a head-on collision on Edwards Ridge Road in Tuscarawas County. The crash also left another woman injured and sent two young boys to a children’s hospital by medical helicopter. The woman who died was identified as Megan Mazzoleni of Gnadenhutten, Ohio.
The fatal collision happened around 7:52 a.m. on November 2, 2026, in Rush Township, south of Ridge Road. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash involved a 2014 Ford Focus driven by Mazzoleni and a 2020 Kia Telluride operated by 43-year-old Shanon Matsel of Port Washington, Ohio.
Mazzoleni was traveling south in the Ford Focus with a 6-year-old boy seated in the back. At the same time, Matsel was driving north in the Kia Telluride, also carrying a 6-year-old boy. Investigators said the Ford crossed left of center and struck the approaching Kia head-on.
The impact left both drivers trapped inside their vehicles. Emergency crews had to use mechanical equipment to free them from the wreckage. Mazzoleni was not wearing a seat belt when the collision happened, according to the highway patrol.
Despite the efforts of emergency responders, Mazzoleni did not survive. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Tuscarawas County Coroner’s Office. Her death turned what had begun as an ordinary Monday morning into a fatal tragedy for her family and those who knew her.
Matsel, who was wearing a seat belt, was also freed from her vehicle. She was taken by emergency medical personnel to Union Hospital for treatment. Her condition was not immediately made public.
The two 6-year-old boys also needed urgent medical attention. Both children were airlifted from the crash scene to Akron Children’s Hospital. Authorities had not released further details about their conditions.
Investigators said drugs and alcohol are not suspected to have played a role in the collision. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, including what led the Ford Focus to cross into the opposite lane.
For Mazzoleni’s loved ones, the loss is especially painful. A young woman who left home that morning would never return. Her death, along with the injuries suffered by the other occupants, has left a family facing a difficult and painful time.
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