Icy roads contribute to several crashes in and near Elkhart County
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The snow and ice will be gone — at least temporarily — by Tuesday, when the forecast calls for a high around 52 degrees under partly sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service. February should come in like a lamb on Wednesday, when it’s expected to be partly sunny again with a high around 45.
One of Sunday’s wrecks occurred around 1:10 p.m. on C.R. 13, between C.R. 42 and C.R. 40, east of Wakarusa. A southbound 1999 Ford F250 pickup truck slid off the road, rolled twice and ended up on its roof in a cornfield, reported Patrolman Michael Bennett of the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department.
The driver, Jesse Benedict, 19, of Storytown, Pa., said he lost control because of ice on the road. Bennett said he issued the driver a citation for speeds too fast for the weather conditions.
A passenger, Allen Bowser, 20, of Owen, Wis., was trapped under the truck until emergency crews got him out. He was taken to IU Health Goshen Hospital with abdomen pain and bruises on his right leg. Benedict and two other passengers reported no injuries.
At 10:50 a.m. Sunday, a 1996 Cadillac STS driven by Rebeccah Price, 19, of Louisville, Ky., was eastbound on C.R. 10 when Price lost control west of C.R. 17, near Elkhart, and struck a ditch off the side of the road. The car rolled over and came to rest on its top in the ditch, said Patrolman Dustin Sahlhoff of the sheriff’s department.
Price was able to climb out of the car. She was taken to Elkhart General Hospital for treatment of a cut on her left hand.
Lucinda Yoder, 18, of Bremen, was driving a 2000 Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck eastbound on C.R. 42, east of C.R. 31 south of Goshen, when she lost control at 5:21 p.m. Saturday because of ice on the road, reported Patrolman Jeremy Overmyer of the sheriff’s department.
The truck spun off the road, striking an embankment on the south side of C.R. 42. Yoder was not hurt but a passenger, Ruth Chupp, 35, of Nappanee, was taken to IU Health Goshen Hospital for treatment of head pain, Overmyer said.
Police also investigated a collision on C.R. 21, north of C.R. 142, south of Goshen, that occurred around 2:50 p.m. Saturday.
McCayla Comby, 18, of New Paris, was heading north on C.R. 21 in a 1999 Mercury Cougar when she lost control because of ice on the road, reported Overmyer.
The car slid into the left lane, where it struck a southbound 1999 Toyota Camry driven by Scot Khafel, 31, of New Paris. Khafel told police he saw the other car sliding, slowed down and tried to avoid the collision.
Overmyer said Comby was taken to IU Health Goshen Hospital after she reported pain. He also said he cited her for speeds too fast for the weather conditions.
Two people were hurt in a two-car crash at about 6:55 a.m. Saturday at C.R. 22 and C.R. 31, southwest of Middlebury.
Robert Weiss, 23, of Goshen, reported head pain after the 2003 Toyota Camry he was driving northeast on C.R. 22 slid into a southwest-bound 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Lisa Steele, 43, of Middlebury, Bennett reported.
Both drivers were taken to IU Health Goshen Hospital — Weiss for cuts on his head from hitting the windshield and Steele for chest pain related to her seat belt. Bennett said he cited Weiss for speeds too fast for the weather conditions and for not wearing a seat belt.
The Cass County (Mich.) Sheriff’s Office is investigating at least four crashes involving injuries that occurred Saturday.
One involved a vehicle driven by Duane Bailey Jr., 46, of Dowagiac, that slid off an icy road, overturned and struck a tree at about 11:15 a.m. The accident occurred on Barron Lake Road near Korn Street in Howard Township, according to the sheriff’s office.
Bailey was not hurt but a passenger, 45-year-old Patricia Bailey, was taken to Lakeland Hospital, Niles.
