A two-vehicle collision in Porter County last night claimed the lives of three North Judson residents and sent a fourth to a Chicago hospital.
It happened on State Road 8 in Boone Township, according to information from the Porter County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say eastbound traffic was stopped in front of a driveway at 319 West State Road 8 waiting for a vehicle to turn left into a driveway.
A 2017 Mack dump truck was traveling westbound on State Road 8 when an eastbound Silver 2002 Mercury Mountaineer swerved into the left lane, possibly to avoid rear-ending stopped traffic.
The SUV driver, 45-year-old Amber Fitzgerald of North Judson was pronounced dead at the scene. So were two passengers, 68-year-old Bonnie Sowles and 7-year-old Hannah Cullen, also of North Judson. A 15-year-old female passenger in the SUV is also from North Judson. She was taken to St. Anthony’s Hospital in Crown Point before being airlifted to Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. Neither her name nor any information about her condition have been released by authorities.
A gofundme page has been set up to help with expenses for the family.
The truck driver, 59-year-old Jerry Niekirk of Crown Point was not injured.
The crash shut down State Road 8 between 350 West and 250 West in Porter County for a couple of hours. The Hebron and Kouts Police Departments, Boone Grove Fire and Porter EMS all responded.
