Police Identify Victim in Township 7 Head-on Crash
Police have identified the man killed in a head-on crash last month in Township 7 in Hancock County.
Bruce W. Merchant, 53, of Sullivan and Gouldsboro was killed in the June 19 accident.
The investigation revealed that Merchant's Ford Ranger travelling West on Rt. 1 crossed the center line directly into the path of the Ford F-150 driven by Timothy Smith, 32, of Steuben. Both vehicles hit head on causing the vehicles to catch on fire, police said.
Timothy Smith and Payton Smith, 5, were both pulled from the Ford F-150 by motorists who came across the accident. Attempts to get into the Ford Ranger were also made, but were unsuccessful.
Timothy Smith was wearing a seat belt, and Payton Smith was in her car seat at the time of the crash, which happened about 10:20 pm. Both sustained non life-threatening injuries, police said.