Archbold man dies after car overturns in water-filled ditch - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

Archbold man dies after car overturns in water-filled ditch

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A 41-year-old Archbold man is dead after a car accident on County Road 15 in Fulton county.

Sunday morning at 11 a.m., a passerby reported a vehicle completely submerged upside-down in water in a ditch along the Wauseon Reservoir on County Road 15.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol says Michael Rocha was traveling southbound on County Road 15 when he went off the left side of the road and overturned in a water-filled ditch.

The vehicle was pulled out of the ditch and Rocha was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers are unsure of the date or time of the crash. He was not wearing a safety belt.

The crash remains under investigation.  Investigators are waiting for toxicology result to find out if alcohol was a factor.


"It's a pretty rare occurrence what happened yesterday. We don't get that a whole lot," says Sgt. Ricky Vitte of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. "Chances of survival at that point in time are slim. One, you're inverted in the water. As well as the current within the ditch as well as the temperature of the water at that point in time."

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