Five people, including a 14-year-old girl, were injured Saturday night when a passenger in a vehicle grabbed the steering wheel, leading to a head-on crash in Cincinnati's East End, police said.

        That passenger, Kenneth Swain, 33, of Belmont Street, Fairfax, remained in University Hospital on Sunday. A nursing supervisor said his condition was unavailable.

        The driver, Gina Corcoran, 32, also of Belmont Street, Fairfax, was taken to the same hospital but was not listed Sunday as a patient.

        Police said Ms. Corcoran was traveling west in the 3000 block of Eastern Avenue at 8:05 p.m. when the crash occurred.

        A second passenger in her car, Sierra Mills, 14, was treated at Children's Hospital Medical Center and released. A third passenger, George Corcoran, 32, declined treatment at the scene.

        The driver of the oncoming car, George Craig, 52, of Milwaukee, also was hospitalized at University. His condition was unavailable Sunday. Passenger John Simpson, 68, also was taken to University Hospital. Another passenger in the Craig car, Samuel Peak, 65, was not hurt, police said.

        Police continue to investigate.
       

Man hurt in crash
with patrol cruiser

               WILMINGTON — A 59-year-old Goshen man was hospitalized Saturday after the car he was driving struck an Ohio State Highway Patrol cruiser, troopers said.

        Michael L. Craig was transported by Martinsville EMS toClinton Memorial Hospital in Wilmington. His condition was not available Sunday.

        Trooper Mark Wells was taken by Highway Patrol personnel to the same hospital, where he was treated and released.

        The crash occurred about 5:15 p.m. Saturday on Ohio 134. The trooper's cruiser was stopped just before the intersection with Ohio 28 when Mr. Craig's 1954 Plymouth struck the patrol car in the left side, according to the Highway Patrol.

        The accident remains under investigation.
       

Small-plane pilot
hurt in crash landing

               XENIA — A 40-year-old Anderson Township man was seriously injured Sunday afternoon when the plane he was piloting crashed as he tried to land on a grass-covered runway at Skydive Greene County.

        It was the second plane crash in the Xenia area in a week.

        Charles E. Dinkler II, of the 1100 block of Salem Ridge Lane, suffered a head injury in the 3:29 p.m. Sunday crash, Ohio State Highway Patrol officials said.

        He was taken by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he was in critical condition late Sunday.

        Witnesses said the aircraft, a 1975 Pitt S-2A Bi-Wing, appeared to come in too fast for landing. It touched down once, hopped and landed a second time, striking the west edge of a drainage ditch with its landing gear, the highway patrol said.

        Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration are expected this morning.

        Tuesday morning, two pilots were killed when their twin-engine airplane from a flying club at Wright Patterson Air Force Base crashed in a cornfield near Xenia just after takeoff.

Shots fired from car
in funeral motorcade

               Cincinnati police are investigating gunshots fired from a vehicle in a funeral motorcade Saturday.

        The motorcade was g at Westwood Northern Boulevard and McHenry Avenue in Westwood at 12:30 p.m. when the incident occurred, District 3 police said.

        No one was struck by gunfire.

Gardeners help spiff
Over-the-Rhine

               The Cincinnati Horticultural Society is joining other city groups in beautifying historic buildings in Over-the-Rhine.

        The society's Cincinnati Fall Flower Show is sponsoring several window box displays at the Mary Magdalen house, 1221 Main St. Mary Magdalen provides personal care facilities and a change of clothing.

        An official unveiling of the window boxes will be at 4 p.m. today.

        The annual Fall Flower Show will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 21-23 at Coney Island. for more information, call 872-5194 or visit www.cincyflowershow.com.
       

Sheriff's cruiser
collides with car

               A Hamilton County sheriff's deputy was injured when she wrecked her cruiser Saturday evening.

        The crash occurred at 5:46 p.m. on Highland Avenue at the Interstate 71 southbound exit ramp in Columbia Township.

        A 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Brenda Baker, 19, of Norwood was going through the intersection when the cruiser going eastbound on Highland Avenue failed to stop for a red light and collided with Ms. Baker's vehicle, according to the sheriff's department.

        Ms. Baker was treated at Jewish Hospital in Kenwood and released. Patrol Officer Catherine Trainer was admitted overnight to Jewish Hospital and discharged Sunday.

        The accident remains under investigation by the Sheriff's Patrol Traffic Safety Unit.
       

Rodeo competitor
collapses, dies

               GEORGETOWN — A 36-year-old Hillsboro man who had finished riding in a rodeo collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack Saturday night at the Brown County Fairgrounds.

        Roger Creech, a construction worker who rode in rodeos part time, was pronounced dead at 10 p.m. at Georgetown Hospital, the Brown County Sheriff's Department said.

        "We're 99 percent sure that he died of a heart attack,” said Randy Smith, promoter of the Georgetown Stampede.

        “He was not on an animal at the time,” said Mr. Smith, of Hammersville. “He had rode his bareback horse and covered it, got off, walked across the arena and was standing at the panels. He just collapsed.”
        That was shortly before 9 p.m. Mr. Creech was taken to the hospital by Georgetown Life Squad.

        “He's worked on and off for me in the past,” Mr. Smith said of Mr. Creech. “He was in his glory (Saturday) night.”

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