ALGANSEE TOWNSHIP, MI (WTVB) – A Reading, Michigan woman was killed and six other family members were injured Friday morning in a Branch County crash involving their buggy and a pickup truck.
The Branch County Sheriff’s Department said hours after the crash that 39-year-old Barbara Jo Schwartz died from her injuries after being taken to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne by Steuben County E.M.S..
The Sheriff’s Department says a horse was pulling the family buggy east on Lester Road near Colvin Road when it was spooked by a passing pick up truck driven by a 29-year-old man from Reading who was heading in the opposite direction at about 8:50 a.m..
The horse veered into the west bound lane and hit the dually fender of the pickup causing the buggy passengers to be ejected.
The buggy was carrying a couple and five children.
Schwartz’s husband was not seriously injured and went with his wife to Parkview.
The five children in the buggy were between the ages of three months and seven years. They were taken to ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital by Lifecare Ambulance for non-life threatening injuries.
This accident remains under investigation. The Branch County Sheriff’s Office were assisted by Quincy Police, the Michigan State Police, firefighters from Quincy and Fremont, Indiana, Lifecare Ambulance, Steuben County EMS and the Branch County Road Commission.
