CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper was hit by a passing Jeep while directing traffic around overnight flooding on U.S. 23 in Ross County early Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026—an incident that later surfaced among Google Trends’ Active U.S. searches for “Ohio State Highway Patrol.” Coverage details were also reported by ABC 6.
ABC 6 (WSYX) reported the crash occurred about 12:33 a.m. as a Chillicothe Post trooper assisted the Ohio Department of Transportation with flooding near Blain Highway. Investigators said the trooper was helping another vehicle when a 2000 Jeep Cherokee traveling on the northbound shoulder struck the trooper with its side mirror. The trooper was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Arrest and charges
OSHP identified the driver as Todd R. Bosstic, 63, of Waverly, ABC 6 reported. Troopers stopped Bosstic and arrested him for felony impaired driving. WHIO, citing jail records, said Bosstic was held in the Ross County Jail with bond set at $150,000. Heritage Headlines’ review of public booking detail listed felony OVI and leaving-the-scene charges and placed the arrest early Sunday morning.
Never Late News is reporting the charges as alleged. Court scheduling and final dispositions were not complete in the cited local coverage.
Flood context on US-23
Local reporting tied the traffic post to documented high water. ODOT District 9 had closed stretches of U.S. 23 around Blain Highway in Ross County and near Woodland Park Road in Pike County, and the National Weather Service had warned of flooding near the Pike-Ross line, including areas around Waverly and Massieville, according to Heritage Headlines’ summary of those notices.
That weather lane connects to the broader eastern flood pattern Never Late News covered in Ohio Valley–to–Northeast flood watches, and to other roadway safety stories such as the I-81 Frederick County crash. Mobility policy debates—from Seattle’s transit measure to Lake City’s mobility fees—show how differently cities fund safer streets; flood nights still put troopers in the travel lane.
What drivers should do in flood zones
OSHP and ODOT closures exist because high water hides drop-offs and stalls engines. Drivers who edge onto shoulders to “sneak by” create the exact risk this crash illustrates. If you encounter troopers or ODOT crews in the lane, slow down, give space, and never pass on the shoulder. Call #677 for highway emergencies when it is safe to do so, as local safety messaging has reminded motorists after flood events.
Prosecutors and courts will handle the OVI case on its evidence. The civic lesson for everyone else is immediate: treat flood traffic posts as emergency scenes, not inconveniences.
Why this matters
When highways flood, the people directing traffic take on crash risk that ordinary drivers can reduce by slowing, yielding, and avoiding shoulders. A Trends spike for the patrol is a reminder to read the official timeline—not rumor—about injuries, arrests, and road closures.
How Never Late News reported this
Never Late News summarized ABC 6 / WSYX and WHIO reporting attributed to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, plus publicly described Ross County Jail bond details as relayed by those outlets and Heritage Headlines. We did not invent medical prognoses, conviction outcomes, or blood-alcohol results not published in those accounts.
Corrections and reader feedback
If you spot an error in this report, email tips@neverlatenews.com. We correct the record promptly and note substantive updates at the bottom of the story when needed.