Monday, August 24th, 2015
Wapakoneta man dies in Mercer County crash
Deadly weekend claims 3 area lives
By Shelley Grieshop
MERCER - A 42-year-old Wapakoneta man was killed just after midnight today when the pickup he was driving was struck by a semitrailer at the intersection of state Route 707 and U.S. 127.
Andrew J. Hughes was taken by a Rockford squad to Van Wert County Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
The driver of the 2014 Kenworth semi-tractor and trailer, Bhupinder Singh, 55, of Greenwood, Ind., was not injured, according to the Mercer County Sheriff's Office.
A 911 call was placed to Central Dispatch at 1:11 a.m. reporting the accident near the unincorporated village of Mercer.
The report said Hughes was traveling west on state Route 707 and failed to stop at the stop sign at U.S. 127. The truck was struck by the northbound rig.
The accident remains under investigation. Deputies were assisted at the scene by Rockford Fire Department and EMS and Mercer County Emergency Response Volunteers.
Hughes' death marked the third traffic fatality in Mercer County this year.
