By SHELLEY GRIESHOP
sgrieshop@dailystandard.com
A 12-year-old Waynesfield girl was killed by an out-of-control
pickup truck Friday afternoon as she exited a school bus in
front of her home.
Emily Noel VanHorn, daughter of Alan and Jeannie (Morris) VanHorn,
died Friday evening following emergency surgery at Lima Memorial
Hospital. She was a seventh-grader at Waynesfield-Goshen Middle
School in Auglaize County.
Her sister, Hannah VanHorn, 10, also was struck by the truck
and was taken to the Lima hospital by her grandparents. She
reportedly suffered a broken ankle and other minor injuries
and is recovering at home.
Twin sisters, first-graders Abbie Amanda and Taylor Elizabeth
VanHorn, were about to step off the bus behind their siblings
when the accident occurred. They were not injured, according
to the report from the Wapakoneta post of the Ohio State Highway
Patrol.
The report said Joshua K. Funk, 17, of Waynesfield, and also
a student at the school, was southbound on Ohio 196 in the eastern
portion of the county when his brakes failed as he attempted
to stop for the bus and two cars stopped behind it.
To avoid striking the cars, Funk veered off the right side of
the roadway and into the yard where the truck struck the girls.
An honor roll student, Emily VanHorn played the saxophone in
the school’s marching band, was a choir member and played
both basketball and softball. She was a member of the 4-H club
Farmerettes and showed dairy heifers each year at the Auglaize
County Fair.
Funeral services are set for 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Waynesfield
Lions Club; calling hours are 2-8 p.m. Tuesday at the club and
one hour prior to services. Arrangements are being handled by
Armentrout Funeral Home, Waynesfield.
Her death marks the third traffic fatality in Auglaize County
this year.
The school’s secondary principal T.J. Winkler told The
Daily Standard grief counselors and other bereavement professionals
were available throughout the school today to help students
mourn the loss of the young girl. A grief session titled “Helping
Your Child Through Grief & Loss” is planned for 7
p.m. tonight in the school’s multi-purpose room.
Approximately 625 students make up the rural school’s
kindergarten through twelfth-grade, Winkler said.
Due to the tragedy, last Friday’s high school football
game against Upper Scioto Valley was canceled indefinitely,
Winkler added.
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