A mother of three was killed over the weekend after her vehicle was crushed by a falling tree as she was driving along a highway in northeastern Ohio.
Bridget Reagan, 35, of Minerva, was traveling westbound on U.S. Route 30 shortly before 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 when a tree fell onto her Jeep Wagoneer from a wooded area along the roadway, the Ohio State Highway Patrol shared in a press release viewed by NTD.
The accident occurred near milepost 28 in Stark County's Paris Township, which includes a portion of the village of Minerva. Officials said Reagan was pronounced dead on scene.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident, including the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Sandy Creek Joint Fire District, and the Stark County Coroner’s Office. The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, and authorities are working to determine what may have caused the tree to fall.
"But in this case it happened to a young lady with a family," Maier said. "We’re trying to determine whether or not the ground was saturated, if the tree was rotted or things like that, but everything points to being an act of God."
Nate Meadows, the executive director of the Minerva Area Chamber of Commerce, told WEWS that Reagan was an important figure in the local community.
"She was a driving force here in town, just made Minerva a better place," Meadows said. "She was always positive. Even if things were not going great, she was always looking at what was the next best thing."
Reagan was the owner and operator of Chic Haven, a boutique in downtown Minerva that sold apparel, accessories, and other bespoke items. The store has remained shuttered since her death, local media outlets reported.
Reagan's sister, Kelly, shared the news of her accident in a message posted to the boutique's official Facebook page.
Reagan's fiancé, Clint Carson, also paid tribute to her on Facebook.