MERCER COUNTY, Ohio -- Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey reported Friday that his office is investigating the county’s sixth fatality of the year.

At 7:15 a.m. Mercer County Central Dispatch received a call about a pedestrian who was struck by a car on St. John’s Road just north of State Route 119 in Maria Stein.

Ruth D. Bertke, 80, of Maria Stein was taken to Mercer Health by medics, where she was pronounced dead at 11:25 a.m.

Deputies said that Bertke failed to see a Ford Taurus that was being driven by Megan C. Hardesty, 17, of New Bremen, which was traveling southbound on St. John’s Road.

Bertke was crossing the road westbound to retrieve her newspaper when se was struck. Hardesty did not have time to react to avoid the crash.

The crash remains under investigation.