Girl, 17, dies after car went into pond in Putnam Co.

2/5/2012

OTTOVILLE, Ohio — A 17-year-old Rockford, Ohio, girl died late Saturday after the car she was driving in rural Putnam County went off the road and into a pond.

Brianna Coon was able to dial 911 for help at about 11:03 p.m. But she and her 1995 Dodge Neon were not immediately found by authorities searching the area north of Ottoville where her cellphone signal was traced.

About two hours after the accident, a state trooper found a hubcap near a pond along County Road P a mile north of Ottoville. The Putnam County Dive Team assisted with removing the submerged vehicle from the pond along County Road P, and the girl was found in the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene by the Putnam County coroner.

Miss Coon was traveling east on County Road P, went across a bridge, and swerved to the left after braking quickly, authorities said.

The accident remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Lima, Ohio, post. Putnam and Van Wert county deputies and state troopers from the Defiance and Van Wert posts assisted with the search.

Alcohol is not believed to be a contributing factor in the crash, according to state troopers.