ALGANSEE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — One person is dead and six more were injured when a horse hit a pickup truck Friday morning in Branch County.
Branch County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to the crash about 8:50 a.m. on Lester Road west of Colvin Road, a news release said.
A preliminary investigation showed the eastbound horse and buggy had spoked as a westbound pickup truck was going by.
The horse veered into the westbound lane, hitting the fender on the pickup truck and causing the passengers of the buggy to be ejected.
A mother, Barbara Jo Schwartz, 39, of Reading, was taken to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, where she later succumbed to her injuries.
The father wasn’t seriously injured and went with his wife to Parkview Hospital.
Five children were taken to Promedica Hospital Coldwater for injuries not considered life-threatening.
Branch County police continue to investigate the crash, but alcohol and drugs aren’t believed to have been factors.
