PAINT TOWNSHIP, Ohio. A 49-year-old Greenfield woman died Wednesday morning after a pickup truck struck a horse-drawn buggy from behind on U.S. Route 50 in Highland County, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred just after 8:30 a.m. on U.S. 50 near State Route 753 in Paint Township. A preliminary investigation found that a GMC Sonoma traveling in the same direction struck the rear of the carriage, which was headed south or southwest on the highway.
Melinda Coblentz, 49, of Greenfield, was operating the buggy and died at the scene. Two passengers in the carriage, a 17-year-old and a 2-year-old, both from Greenfield, were taken by air medical transport to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The driver of the GMC Sonoma was not injured.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol said the crash remains under investigation. No citations have been announced.
Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District, CareFlight, the Highland County Coroner’s Office, the Ohio Department of Transportation, and Grooms & Son Towing Service.
U.S. 50 is a two-lane highway in this rural stretch of Highland County. Horse-drawn buggies are used by some local families, including members of Amish and Mennonite communities that have grown in the Greenfield area and surrounding townships in recent decades.
Ohio law requires motorists to slow and stop when signaled by a horse-drawn vehicle and to pass with care. Buggies typically travel 5 to 8 mph. Drivers approaching from behind can close the distance quickly on roads posted at 55 mph.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Ohio State Highway Patrol Wilmington Post.
