Collins taught at Ross Middle School for 22 years, a press release from Ross Local School District administration said.
WCPO reported Collins and Pelton were married, but she did not officially change her last name, according to a representative with the Butler County Educational Service Center. She went by Mrs. Pelton at school.
“Mrs. Pelton [Collins] was not just a teacher; she was a beacon of light in our school community with a passion for sharing her love of science,” the release said. “Colleagues shared how she had a unique talent for infusing her love of science into her lessons and always kept learning fun in her classroom. Her enthusiastic approach to teaching sparked curiosity and excitement in her students, leaving a lasting impression on their educational journey. Her loss leaves a void that will be deeply felt by students, colleagues, and community members alike.”
The release said schools were closed Tuesday for a conference exchange day, but the middle school was to be open and have counselors available for staff and students from noon to 2 p.m.
The crashes involved a total of three vehicles and happened on Cox Road about 6:10 p.m., closing the road for more than five hours between Liberty Way and VOA Park Drive.
“There were actually two crashes that involved the vehicle traveling the wrong way,” according to Barb Wilson, township public information officer. She later added that Meyer was reportedly driving the vehicle that was going in the wrong direction.
That vehicle, an SUV, initially struck another near the VOA shopping center, Wilson said, but no one was injured in that crash.
The SUV then struck another vehicle near Service Center Drive.
“All three fatalities were the result of this two-vehicle crash,” Wilson said.
Several people called 911 dispatchers to report the wrong-way driver and the crashes.
One 911 caller described an SUV driving the wrong direction erratically and narrowly missing vehicles before hitting someone head-on.
Another described one of the vehicles flipping over into median, and one emotional caller told a dispatcher: “We avoided a head-on collision ... but the people behind us were involved.”
Another witness told 911 the SUV traveling in the wrong lanes on Cox Road was going “full bore; he was really flying.”
He said the car the SUV hit was essentially split in half.
When a dispatcher asked for a description of the SUV, the man said, “They were going so fast, right in my direction, I swerved. I saw most of it in my rearview mirror.”
West Chester police remained on the scene for several hours and continue to investigate, township officials said.
Police are withholding additional comment until the investigation reveals more, including toxicology reports from the coroner’s office, Wilson said.
