A former Tippecanoe Valley High School student was killed Saturday in Fulton County when the vehicle he was riding in left the roadway and collided with a tree.
Branigan Lee Bahney, 19, no address provided by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, was pronounced dead at the scene of the single-vehicle accident on Fort Wayne Road, east of CR 500E, in Fulton County, according to a press release from the FCSD.
The release states that before 1:13 p.m. Saturday, a red 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck, driven by Macy A. Wagley, no age or address provided, left the roadway at a high rate of speed. It appears Wagley left the roadway, over-corrected the steering and left the roadway for a second time, striking a tree head on, the release states. As a result of the force of the impact, the vehicle came to rest on the driver’s side.
Wagley was flown to Parkview Hospital by Samaritan due to his injuries from the crash. He was listed in fair condition Sunday.
Neither Wagley or Bahney was wearing a seat belt, according to the release. “Had seat belts been in use, the chances of injury or death may have been reduced,” the release states.
According to a February 2013 service note in the Times-Union, Bahney had enlisted into Company A, 113th Engineer, Indiana Army National Guard. At that time, he was a junior at Tippecanoe Valley High School and resided in Warsaw, the service note stated. He was the son of Ashel Santana.
Saturday’s accident remains under investigation.
Assisting the FCSD were Akron Police Department, Indiana State Police (Fort Wayne), Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Fulton County EMS and the Fulton County Coroner.
(Story By The Times Union)
