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More than a hundred people made up of friends, family members, teachers and coaches gather at the Celina track on Tuesday evening to pray over the families of Wes Greber and Ben Ly, two Celina High School students involved in Monday afternoon's fatal car accident.
CELINA - More than 100 Celina High School students, parents, teachers, coaches and community members gathered on the high school track Tuesday night with the family of a 14-year-old student who died following a head-on collision with a semitrailer on Monday afternoon.
Benjamin Ly of Celina died at 2:43 p.m. Tuesday at Dayton Children's Hospital from injuries sustained in the accident, according to Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey.
A throng of community members assembled at the track on Tuesday evening for a prayer circle and to support the Ly's grieving family members.
Jason King, a local pastor, assistant wrestling coach and Celina City Council president, said the accident is a reminder of how fragile life is.
"Our hearts are breaking right now," he said. "Ben was the kindest of souls, you all know that. You know Ben was a kind, considerate, respectful, young man. The Ly family should be proud of him. His legacy will live on. We will not forget, we will honor his memory. I promise for all those that play football with him or wrestle with Ben … our hearts go out to you. Continue to do your best to honor his legacy."
Celina High School juniors Wes Greber and Carter Ly hug.
The two-vehicle accident happened at about 2:19 p.m. Monday on State Route 29, east of Fleetfoot Road in Jefferson Township, according to a news release from Grey.
Wesley Greber, 16, was reportedly driving a 2016 black Ford Focus westbound on State Route 29, while Gurpreet Puaar, 36, of Fresno, California, was driving a 2020 red Kenworth semitrailer eastbound.
For an unknown reason, Greber traveled left of center into the eastbound lane, striking Puaar's semitrailer, per the release.
Ly, who was a front seat passenger in the Ford Focus, was airlifted from the scene by Lutheran Air to Dayton Children's Hospital.
Puaar reportedly refused treatment at the scene. Greber was transported by a Mercer County Emergency Medical Services ambulance to Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater with non-life threatening injuries and subsequently released later that night.
Alcohol and drugs are not believed to be a factor in the accident, according to Grey.
The sheriff's office reconstruction team was called to the scene. The crash remains under investigation and will be forwarded to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office for review once completed.
The county sheriff's office was assisted at the scene by Lutheran Air, Mercer County EMA, Celina Fire/EMS, Mercer County Emergency Response Volunteers and Ohio Motor Carrier Enforcement, per the release.
