Motorcyclist dies after deer collision on US 52 in Adams County

Anthony Paul Evans was more than the rider killed on US Route 52 in Green Township. In Stout and among the friends who knew him best, the 65-year-old was remembered as a motorcycle lover, a billiards player and a man who carried treats for pets and stray animals he met along the way.

Evans died after his 1997 Suzuki Intruder 800 struck a deer that was crossing the roadway near mile marker 25 in Adams County. The crash happened at about 11:41 p.m. on June 5, when Evans was riding eastbound on US Route 52. Emergency crews pronounced him dead at the scene, and troopers said he was not wearing a helmet.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the crash remained under investigation. The response included the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Manchester Fire and EMS, Adams County EMS, the Adams County Coroner’s Office and Scott & Comb’s Towing.

His death cut through a family rooted in Adams County. Evans was born on October 4, 1960, the first-born son of the late William P. Evans and Corena Fite Evans. He is survived by his wife, Donna, his mother, Corena, of Blue Creek, and his sisters, Connie Centers and Denise Carver.

Family members also pointed to the circle of friends that helped shape his life, naming Kenny Waldron, Chris McDaniel, Trae Wilson, Kevin Eldridge, Alex Boone, Scott Yeager and Brian Bayless among those he valued most. That personal network, along with his love of riding and his habit of looking after animals, left a mark that extended far beyond the crash scene.

The death also fits a larger safety pattern that Ohio troopers have tracked for years. From 2019 through 2023, the Ohio State Highway Patrol recorded 109,507 deer-involved crashes statewide, including 44 fatal crashes that caused 45 deaths. Motorcycles were involved in just 1% of deer crashes overall, but 80% of fatal deer crashes involved a motorcycle.

The patrol says deer crashes are most common in low-light hours and in the fall, with 47% of all deer-related wrecks during October, November and December in that five-year span and 22% in November alone. For Adams County, the wreck on US 52 was a sudden loss for one family and another reminder of how quickly deer can turn a rural highway ride into a fatal collision.

Evans’ memorial arrangements were set for June 14 at Lafferty Funeral Home in West Union, giving relatives, friends and neighbors a place to gather and remember the Stout man whose life was tied closely to family, friendship and the local riding community.