Young child dead, multiple injured after crash involving horse-driven buggy

MERCER COUNTY — A young girl is dead after a crash involving a horse-driven buggy in Mercer County Friday.

Around 5:20 p.m. Mercer County deputies were called to a crash on State Route 49 north of Oregon Road, according to a media release.

An initial investigation found that Trey Frech, 24, of New Paris was driving northbound on SR-49 when he went into the southbound lane to pass another car and hit a buggy head-on.

Frech was thrown from his car.

He was flown to Luther Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana, according to the media release.

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The driver of the buggy, John Schwartz, 24, of Celina, was taken to an area hospital where he was treated and released.

Schwartz’s wife Elizabeth, who is pregnant, was taken to Mercer Health and later flown to Miami Valley Hospital.

The Schwartz’s 3-year-old was taken to Mercer Health. Their 1-year-old daughter was pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said.

The horse was seriously injured and later died.

The crash remains under investigation.

We will continue to follow this story.

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