The search for the little girl went on through the night. Dive teams worked the Sandusky River in Fremont, Ohio, and fire departments flew drones overhead. By noon on Monday, boats were out on what officials had begun to call a recovery. Her body was found near the base of the railroad bridge where her family had been struck by a train the evening before.
Three relatives died on May 18, 2025. A 14-month-old baby survived with critical injuries.
A fishing trip that ended on the bridge
Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez said the family came from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was in town to fish. The collision happened at about 7 p.m. on Sunday, on the bridge that carries the tracks over the Sandusky River near Hayes Avenue. WTOL reported that two women were killed, and that the 5-year-old girl was thrown into the water. 13abc gave her age as 4. Pedestrians are not allowed on that bridge.
The baby was flown by air ambulance to Mercy Health-St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo, where WTOL reported the child was in critical condition. A relative told the station that the two women were sisters-in-law and that one of them was the mother of both children. Authorities named the dead on Monday, though the spellings given by the two outlets differ.
Fremont police posted on X that the bridge was closed and asked people to stay away. Several law enforcement agencies were on scene.
What the engineer told police
A preliminary report that 13abc obtained in late June adds the train crew’s account. An officer quoted the engineer as saying he saw a group walking on the bridge, blew the horn and tried to slow down. “The engineer stated he witnessed at least one person get struck and the{n} hit the side of the bridge,” the officer wrote. Supplemental reports are still sorting out who was hit by the train and who may have jumped into the river before it arrived.
No formal autopsies were done on the three dead, for religious reasons. Police Chief Derek Wensinger told 13abc he hoped to finish the investigation by the end of June. The National Transportation Safety Board was contacted, the station reported, but declined to investigate.
Norfolk Southern said it was “deeply saddened” and working with local authorities. The Federal Railroad Administration called the event a reminder of the dangers of trespassing on railroad property. Mayor Sanchez was blunter about the town’s mood. “We do everything we can to welcome our anglers to the city of Fremont,” he said, “and this is a very, very unfortunate tragedy that has hit our community today.”
Sources
- 3 people including a 5-year-old girl killed in Fremont train accident | wtol.com
- I-TEAM: Preliminary report reveals new details about Fremont fatal train incident
