CUSTAR, Ohio — The Henry County Sheriff’s Office has identified the victims of a fatal collision between a tractor-trailer rig and a van carrying Worthington, Ohio, high school water polo players.
Courtney Fisher, 19, a passenger in the van, died in the crash, while five others were taken by helicopter ambulance to Toledo hospitals with life threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s office.
At about 10:10 a.m., the van, driven by Courtney Fisher’s mother, Vicki Fisher, 45, was headed west on State Rt. 281 when she stopped at the stop sign at State Rd. 65 west of Custar in Henry County. She then pulled out and the van was struck on the passanger side by a tractor-trailer driven by Dillin Chiow, 23, of Anna, Ohio, who was southbound on State Rd. 65.
There is no stop sign at the intersection for State Rd. 65.
The collision sent both vehicles into a ditch.
The sheriff’s department said that Ms. Fisher, Betsey Fisher, 17, Melanie Fisher, 14, Samantha Fink, 15, and Sydney Zullich, 14, were all taken to Toledo hospitals. Mr. Chiow was not injured. Courtney Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene. Her sisters, Melanie and Betsey, were among those injured.
A spokesman for Mercy Health said that Betsey Fisher, Samantha Fink, and Sydney Zullich were all in critical condition at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. A spokesman for ProMedica said that there was no information on Melanie Fisher and Vicki Fisher at ProMedica Toledo Hospital.
Courtney Fisher is listed as a sophomore at Marist College, in Poughkeepsie, NY. The college's web site said she is an attacker on the water polo team.
A spokesman for the Worthington school district said that water polo players and family members from Worthington Kilbourne and Thomas Worthington high schools were on their way to a tournament in Napoleon. The van involved in the crash had players and family from Worthington Kilbourne.
Vicki Gnezda, communication director for the district, the district is not currently in session, but Worthington has activated its crisis response team so that counselors are available if needed, she said.
Custar is 40 miles southwest of Toledo.
First Published August 12, 2016, 9:21 p.m.
