LaPorte County officials have released the names of the three people killed in a crash this morning on U.S. 20. It happened around 7 a.m. about a mile west of Rolling Prairie.
The preliminary investigation indicates a westbound Pontiac G6 was in the passing lane and slid sideways into the eastbound lanes of the highway. The car’s passenger side struck the front end of an eastbound semi tractor-trailer driven by 41-year-old Joseph M. Green of Mishawaka. He was not injured.
The driver, 22-year-old Judith Peachey of Goshen and both passengers in the Pontiac were pronounced dead of blunt force trauma. Rosalie Koehn of Greensburg, Kansas was in the front passenger seat, and 17-year-old Lani Nace of Greensburg, Kansas, was in the back.
Investigators do not believe alcohol or drugs were factors in the crash. They have yet to determine what caused the Pontiac to lose control and note the highway was slushy and slick at the time of the crash, with temperatures near freezing.
