Teenager operating horse and buggy dies in Columbus after collision with pickup truck

NORWALK, Ohio (WCMH) – A teenager has died after being life-flighted to a Columbus hospital stemming from a horse and buggy collision in northern Ohio’s Huron County.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 7:11 p.m. Monday, when a man operating a 2015 Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck was traveling westbound on Baseline Road in Ripley Township. At the same time a horse drawn buggy, operated by 16-year-old Barbara Rissler, was also traveling westbound, in front of the pickup truck.

The Chevrolet reportedly failed to keep a clear distance and struck the rear of the buggy, which traveled off the right side of the road, near the intersection of Baseline Rd. and New State Road.

Rissler was ejected from the buggy and sustained serious injuries. She was flown by Medflight to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, where she was pronounced dead one day later.

A 21-year-old woman was a passenger in the buggy, according to OSHP. She was also ejected and sustained serious injuries from the crash and was hospitalized in Mansfield, Ohio.

The driver of the pickup truck was uninjured in the crash. It is not yet known if charges were filed against him as the crash remains under investigation.

Baseline Road runs along the border of southern Huron County and northern Richland County.