By David Slone
Times-Union
WARSAW — A Huntington man is dead and three others were injured after the vehicle they were traveling in Saturday morning was sideswiped by another vehicle that left the scene.
The driver of the other vehicle was eventually apprehended and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail.
A third person was taken into custody in Huntington.
According to a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office news release, deputies and emergency personnel responded at 5 a.m. Saturday to an accident on U.S. 30 near CR 450E. Emergency personnel found a single vehicle involved in a rollover crash.
It was determined that a maroon 2009 Honda Pilot, driven by Austin Martin, of Huntington, had exited the south side of U.S. 30, rolled over, hit a NIPSCO utility pole and came to rest on its passenger side. During the process of the vehicle rolling over, Conner Small, 24, also of Huntington, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene by the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office.
Martin complained of pain to the neck, according to the crash report. Two others in the Pilot also were injured and transported by EMS to local hospitals.
Zoie B. Lavine, 21, of Huntington, complained of pain to the upper leg and hip, according to the crash report. Cassandra M. Moehring, 24, Huntington, complained of pain to the upper leg and hip.
The KCSO crash report states that Martin reported he was traveling east on U.S. 30, west of CR 450E, in the Pilot when he began to overtake a then-unidentified vehicle, also traveling east. While Martin was driving in the left lane, he began to pass the unidentified vehicle that was traveling in the right lane. Then, while overtaking the vehicle, Martin reported a same-direction sideswipe collision occurred between the two vehicles due to the unidentified vehicle failing to maintain its lane.
Martin said he lost control of his vehicle and left the south side of U.S. 30. The Pilot overturned multiple times before coming to a rest on the passenger side as it rested against a utility pole.
Martin was able to exit the Pilot on his own. Lavine had to be removed from the vehicle by first responders, as did Moehring.
A description of the other vehicle was dispatched to surrounding law enforcement agencies and jurisdictions. The vehicle was described as a silver car with a headlight out.
The Huntington County Sheriff’s Department found the vehicle, a gray 2009 Oldsmobile Alero, which had sustained driver’s side damage and was missing a headline.
The crash report states that the driver of the other vehicle in Huntington County was identified as Jayla Kelsey, 19, Huntington. She would not provide any further information to the Huntington officers about the collision.
Kelsey was booked into the Huntington County Jail at 8 a.m. Saturday for operating a vehicle while intoxicated – endangerment, operating a vehicle with a controlled substance, operating a vehicle while intoxicated and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
Also inside the Alero were passengers Cayden W. Collins, 20, Andrews, and Gage Overholser, 21, whose address was not listed in the report. Neither passenger would speak to officers.
Officers determined Collins was the driver of the Alero at the time of the crash. The Alero also is registered under his name.
Collins was placed under arrest and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail where he was preliminary charged with one count of felony leaving the scene of a fatality accident, a Level 4 felony.
The KCSO was assisted at the scene by the Warsaw Police Department, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, Lutheran EMS, Lutheran Air, Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office, Pierceton first responders, Winona Lake Police Department, North Webster EMS and Samaritan Air. KCSO was also assisted by the Huntington County Sheriff’s Office.
