Pickup strikes ditch, overturns, killing passenger in Wayne County
WAYNE COUNTY -- A pickup truck lost control on an icy roadway, rotated off the left side of the road, struck a ditch, and overturned onto its right side, killing a passenger early Sunday, the Ohio State Highway Patrol reports.
A rear-seat passenger, Hannah Eve Baird, 25, of Big Prairie in Holmes County, was transported to Wooster Community Hospital where she died as the result of injuries, the patrol said.
The wreck, east of the village of Apple Creek, was reported via iPhone crash alert about 12:29 a.m. Sunday in the area of Hackett Road and South Millborne Road, the patrol said.
The initial investigation revealed the crash involved a gray 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup that had been eastbound on Hackett Road from Apple Creek, which is about six miles southeast of Wooster.
The vehicle was occupied by three people, including driver Trevor Lee Barker, 22, of Washington Court House, the patrol said. Another rear-seat passenger, Whitney Brooke Miller, 24, of Millersburg was uninjured in the crash.
"Alcohol was a factor in the crash," the patrol said in a statement. "The actions and the events that led to the death of Baird remain under investigation with charges pending."
Life-saving efforts to save Baird were provided on the scene by the Apple Creek/East Union Township Fire Department, the patrol said.
No one was wearing a seat belt, the patrol said.
"This is the first fatal crash in Wayne County in 2025,” the patrol said. "Over the previous five years in Wayne County, driver impairment has contributed to 44 traffic deaths (55%) and 35 unbelted occupants have been killed (43%)."
In addition to the fire department, troopers were assisted on the scene by personnel from Apple Creek Police, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, and 3 Sons Towing & Recovery.
"The Ohio State Highway Patrol, Wooster Post, reminds all occupants to drive sober, never ride with an impaired driver, and always buckle up, whether behind the wheel or along for the ride," the statement said