A woman died late last month in what police termed as a freak accident when her vehicle’s windshield was hit by an errant wheel that had just come off another vehicle along I-465 in Marion County. Crystal Emerick, 43, was driving southbound on I-465 north of I-74 when a wheel came flying into her lane and field of vision after it came off Chad Hockett’s car. The police noted that alcohol was not suspected in the accident, and that they were examining Mr. Hockett’s vehicle to determine why it came off. Emerick suffered serious injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. Three other passengers in her vehicle survived, with only minor injuries.

Fort Wayne, In. Accident Kills Two

Over at Allen County, two people died, and another was hurt critically after two vehicles were involved in a head-on collision. The accident happened on June 1st in the early morning hours on Bluffton road. Fire officials rushed to the scene and found three people trapped in the carnage. One person died at the accident scene, while another passed on while receiving treatment in hospital. The two that died were identified as Gregory Lee Mitchell, 37, and Robert Zeigler, 36, of Ossian and Indianapolis, respectively.

Mr. Mitchell worked as a newspaper delivery agent and was heading into work to pick up the day’s papers at Fort Wayne Newspapers. Investigators stated that both the vehicles were hit on the front-left side, and that the accident was primarily caused by Zeigler’s SUV which was headed southbound before going off-center and hitting Mitchell’s car. According to police reports, it did not appear that any of the two drivers slammed on the brakes moments before the accident. Debris from the crash spread a couple hundred feet in all directions, and some of the victims were evacuated by helicopter to various nearby hospitals for treatment. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Indiana Drunk Driver Sentenced

Later in the month, an off-road vehicle driver was sentenced for drunk driving after he veered off a roadway in Allen County in September of last year. John Stephenson Jr. was sentenced to 8 years in prison as well as 4 on probation under the charge of operating while intoxicated, leading to the death of Alex M. Tetzloff, 21. On top of his sentencing, he was hit with a 5 year license suspension to take effect after his release in exchange for four other charges getting dropped. Stephenson has another similar conviction which was handed out in 1995 when he caused the death of another individual due to drunk driving.

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