Starke County Driver Crashes Into Concrete Drain; Charged with OVWI

Posted on Author WKVI
The concrete drain caused severe damage to the vehicle.

A Starke County man is being charged after a single-vehicle accident on Toto Road in Knox.

At approximately 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, the Starke County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a single-vehicle accident on Toto Road west of U.S. 35. When officers arrived on scene, they found a truck had run off the road and struck a concrete drain, causing serious damage to the vehicle. Fire department personnel were on scene as well, and the driver, Fred Koman, of Knox, had to be extricated from the severely damaged vehicle before being transported to IU Health Starke Hospital and later airlifted to a South Bend hospital after suffering a broken or fractured neck with an injury to his arm.

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Two Dead in Accident in LaPorte County; Victim’s Family also Dead

Posted on Author WKVI
Fire crews work to put out a vehicle fire after a crash on I-94 in LaPorte County Thursday morning.

There’s more to the story of an accident that killed two people on I-94 in LaPorte County this morning.

LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan told WKVI that one victim in the accident, 38-year-old Michael Van Der Linden of Belleville, Michigan was driving the wrong way on I-94 and hit a vehicle driven by 45-year-old Juan Nelson of Portage. The impact caused a fire that consumed both vehicles and left the bodies burned beyond recognition. Sullivan said the cause of death for both victims was blunt force trauma and thermal burns.

As Belleville, Michigan police attempted to notify the family of Michael Van Der Linden of the fatal accident, they observed the door to the family’s home open. When police entered the residence, they found that every member of Michael Van Der Linden’s family were murdered. His wife and children were found stabbed.

Investigators now are trying to piece together why Van Der Linden was in LaPorte County and if he is the suspect in the murder.

Accident Reported On U.S. 30 Near 750 East

Posted on Author WKVI
Two semis were involved in an accident on U.S. 30 near Hamlet.

An accident involving two semis on U.S. 30 caused emergency personnel to block off access to the area until the scene can be cleared by authorities.

One semi reportedly overturned as a result of the accident, and multiple fire units were spotted at the scene. No further details are available at this time, but the investigation is still underway and WKVI will report any updates as they come in.

The accident reportedly occurred on U.S. 30 near 750 East in Hamlet Wednesday afternoon.

No Injuries in Wednesday Afternoon Accident

Posted on Author WKVI
This vehicle was damaged after a two car accident at the intersection of Main and Culver Road in Knox

A two vehicle accident occurred at the intersection of Culver Road and Main Street in Knox yesterday afternoon.  While no specific information has been given about the accident, it is known that one of the vehicles involved ran the stop light at the intersection.  No injuries were reported.  Continue reading →

Plymouth Man Injured in Crash

Posted on Author WKVI

A Plymouth man was injured after a one vehicle accident in Marshall County.

Marshall County police responded to a report of a vehicle rollover on U.S. 31 north of 1st Road. The vehicle left the roadway, going down and striking an embankment and rolling over several times. The vehicle came to rest on its top in the side yard of a residence. The driver, Teofilo Cuatiacuatl, was seat belted in his vehicle and was extricated from the vehicle. He was transported to South Bend Memorial Hospital and later released.

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Three Injured in Two Vehicle Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

Three people were injured in a two vehicle accident around 8:30 p.m. last night on U.S. 30 just east of the Grovertown Truck Stop.

Starke County police say that a passenger car was northbound on 1100 East, crossed the median, hesitated in the median, and began to proceed into the path of an oncoming semi. The driver of the semi tried to stop and swerved to the right to attempt to avoid a collision, however the driver could not stop. The semi was loaded at the time of the accident.

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Knox City Police Investigates School Bus Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

The Knox City Police Department was called to an accident Friday afternoon involving a school bus.

A school bus driver was waiting to pull into the Osborne’s Mini Mart gas station at the corner of U.S. 35 and Culver Road. There reportedly was some confusion about the timing of the traffic light and a woman pulled out of the gas station and into the path of the school bus. There weren’t any children on the bus and no other injuries were reported. Both vehicles were damaged due to the accident.

No Life Threatening Injuries in Fiery Crash in San Pierre

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County emergency personnel were called to an accident yesterday afternoon where two vehicles burst into flames.

When officers arrived at the scene at U.S. 421 in San Pierre, they found a semi and a car fully engulfed in flames. Both drivers had been pulled from the wreckage. Officers determined that the driver of the passenger vehicle crossed the center line causing the accident. The semi was hauling mattresses which took firefighters nearly three hours to extinguish.

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Knox Man Injured in Accident

Posted on Author WKVI

A Knox man was injured in a single vehicle accident in LaPorte County.

LaPorte County Police officers responded to a call at 12:07 this morning of a car in the ditch at 1500 S. 100 W. in LaPorte County. Eugene Sinn, 57, told police that he didn’t remember how he got there or how long he was there. According to LaPorte County officials, the officer reportedly asked Sinn if he had been drinking prior to the accident and stated that he had been drinking. He was taken to the hospital for medical treatment for facial cuts and a laceration over his upper lip.

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Accidents Reported in the Kankakee Valley

Posted on Author WKVI

The LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department responded to a single vehicle accident on 1500 South, one mile East of State Road 39 last night around 8:00 p.m. One occupant was taken to the hospital.

Knox City Police Department officers were called to a rollover accident on Bender Street near Pacific Avenue around 10:00 p.m. last night. This was also a single car accident and minor injuries were reported in this accident.

The Starke County Sheriff’s Department officers were called to a rollover accident early this morning at 1075 W. State Road 10. This was a one vehicle accident with one person injured.

All of these accidents are still being investigated and we hope to get more information on these cases once more information is available to us.

Two Injured in Accident Involving Two Semis in Winamac

Posted on Author WKVI

Two drivers were injured in an accident that involved two semi trucks in Winamac on Wednesday.

Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department officers at the scene learned that Richard Vanes of Logansport was traveling in his semi on 550 South and came upon the intersection with 300 East in the Winamac area. Vanes said he was not sure if the semi that James Kline of Rochester was driving was going to stop at the intersection. Kline did not stop at the stop sign and traveled through the intersection. Vanes attempted to move to the other side of the roadway but was not able to avoid a collision. The trailer attached to Vanes’ semi slid off the roadway and struck a utility pole. The trailer then rolled over, spilling its contents into a field.

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Knox Man Ejected From Vehicle During Crash

Posted on Author WKVI

Starke County Police responded to an accident call at 1:00 a.m. Monday morning that occurred at 4570 South and 100 East. Upon arrival, officers found a single vehicle and determined that the driver was 43-year-old Thomas Guy of Knox.

Guy had been ejected from the vehicle during the crash and was transported to I.U. Health-Starke Hospital where his condition was unknown yesterday.

It appeared to the responding officer that Guy was northbound on County Road 100 East when he came over a hill and lost control of his vehicle, leaving the roadway and striking a tree. Assisting the Sheriff’s Department were the Knox Police Department, Bass Lake-California Township Fire Department and Starke County EMS. Alcohol results are pending at this time.

Names Released from Friday Accident Near Hamlet

Posted on Author WKVI

The names of those involved in an accident at 600 East and 700 North have been released. The moped driver, Divvad Nieburrt of Grovertown, was hit by a pickup truck on Friday. His condition has been upgraded from critical to stable. Nieburrt was hit by a pickup truck driven by Brandon Ferch. Nieburrt apparently failed to stop at the intersection, pulling into the path of Ferch.

Ferch was not injured in the accident.

North Judson Man Perishes in Accident with Semi

Posted on Author WKVI

A man from North Judson has died after an accident Friday morning that took place in LaPorte County. At around 9 a.m., Thomas Schwab, 46, was hit by a semi truck as he was crossing U.S. 30 on Ind. 39 near Hannah.

The damage to Schwab’s vehicle trapped him and he had to be removed by authorities. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The county coroner said alcohol was not involved, and an investigation is underway to determine which vehicle had the right-of-way.

Funeral arrangements are pending at O’Donnell Funeral Home in North Judson.

Accident Slows Traffic on US 35 in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI

Officers from the Knox City Police Department were called two a two vehicle accident Thursday morning on US 35 in Knox.  It appears that a motorcycle in the southbound lane was attempting to turn left into Advanced Auto Parts and a car hit the rear of the motorcycle.  Injuries were reported at the scene.  Individuals were taken to the hospital as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. Continue reading →

Two Vehicle Accident at Culver Road and US 35 in Knox Injures Two

Posted on Author WKVI

The Knox City Police Department investigated a two vehicle accident that occurred shortly before 1:00 p.m. today at the intersection of Culver Road and US 35 in Knox.

According to City Police Officer, Chad Dulin, Sharon Button, of Winamac, was traveling southbound on US 35 when she reportedly disregarded the stoplight at the intersection and struck a vehicle driven by Dalerie Ford of Knox. Ford was traveling westbound through the intersection when the accident occurred.

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