One person has died and five others have been rushed to an area hospital after a van transporting the Columbus (Ohio) Worthington Kilbourne girls’ water polo team crashed on the way to a competition in Napoleon, Ohio, according to multiple reports.
Roughly two hours after the team posted on its Twitter account, “Off to the first tournament in Napoleon,” their van collided with a grain truck near Toledo, reports said. Courtney Fisher, 19, was pronounced dead and five more people were helicoptered to a nearby hospital with what ABC 6 and FOX 28 are reporting as “life-threatening injuries.” The five are Vicki Fisher, 45; Betsey Fisher, 17; Melanie Fisher, 14; Samantha Fink, 15; and Sydney Zullich, 14.
Courtney Fisher was a Worthington Kilbourne alumnus who was on the water polo team at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
“We are saddened by the loss of Courtney Fisher, a rising sophomore on the Marist water polo team. Our prayers are with the Fisher family,” Marist wrote on its athletics department Twitter account.
The truck driver, Dillin Chiow, 23, was not injured.
According to police, Vicki Fisher, was driving the van and pulled out in front of the truck when she failed to yield.
Henry County Sheriff Michael Bodenbender told NBC 4, describing the accident as one of the worst he has seen in 26 years on the job. “I feel for these people,” he added.
The van was carrying family members in addition to student-athletes, reports said.
“At this time, our district crisis response team has been mobilized,” Worthington City Schools superintendent Trent Bowers said in a letter sent to the district’s parents. “We will have school counselors available to work with students and families. We are in the process of ensuring that our families involved are getting the support and resources that they need.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.”
A photo from the scene of the accident shows extensive damage to the van.
News of the fatal accident has spread through surrounding communities, where people are sharing their thoughts and prayers for the student-athletes and their families involved.
