Spegall was driving his grandmother’s 2005 Jaguar XT northbound on Main Street about 9 p.m. when he apparently lost control and struck a guardrail, ejecting himself, according to the Hamilton Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. He was pronounced dead on scene by the Butler County Coroner’s Office.
Webb said her brother was returning from a friend’s house and was driving to his grandmother’s house on Hood Avenue. She said her brother needed to be home before dark, though she refused to elaborate. He wasn’t on house arrest, she said.
Witnesses said the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, without the headlights activated, said Lt. C.G. Arnold from the highway patrol. Spegall was not wearing a seat belt. Arnold said it’s unknown if alcohol and/or drugs were a factor in the crash, though none were found in the vehicle.
When asked how fast Spegall was driving, Arnold said “too fast.”
Webb said she spent the weekend at her grandmother’s house trying to grasp her brother’s death.
“Heartbroken,” she said when asked her emotions. “Denial. Doesn’t seem real.”
Spegall attended Middletown High School and later earned his GED, his sister said. He worked for a landscaping company. The father of two children ages 1 and 6, Spegall was engaged to Brandy Wells and they were set to be married this fall.
On Monday afternoon, Middletown city workers were repairing the guardrail that was severely damaged in the accident. Some of the steel posts were ripped out of the ground. A memorial was erected at the scene of the accident and it included flowers, balloons and two empty bottles of Patron.
Someone wrote “RIP Homie” in red marker on one of the damaged guardrails.
Catherine Simpson has lived at the corner of Main Street and Sixteenth Avenue for 50 years. She said Friday night was the first time she has seen the guardrails that damaged. She said the guardrails were installed in the 1970s after a serious accident.
The posted speed limit is 35, but Simpson said people “drive a lot faster than that,” on that stretch of road.
Spegall’s visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at Hall-Jordan and Petty Memorial Chapel, 918 S. Main St. The funeral will begin at noon. Pastor Christopher Lyle, Spegall’s stepfather, will conduct the service.
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