Tragedy Strikes at OH Firefighter's Funeral Service

Sept. 10, 2019
Police are investigating the death of a woman who fell from an apparatus during an honor ride following the funeral for a Short Creek Joint Fire District assistant chief.

Ohio authorities are investigating the death of a woman who died Monday during an honor ride following the funeral of an assistant fire chief.

Marguerite E. Appel, 64, was riding in a Short Creek Joint Fire District apparatus when the door of the vehicle opened, and she fell out, WTRF-TV reports. She was airlifted to a Pittsburgh trauma center, where she died of her injuries, according to a statement by the fire department.

Appel had been riding in the apparatus as part of an honor ride following a funeral service for Short Creek Assistant Chief James "Jim" Horton. According to the department, she was a family member.

No one was cited in the accident, the department said. The Ohio State Highway Patrol is investigating the incident.

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