HUNTINGTON — A 55-year-old Warsaw man died when he was thrown from a motorcycle in a crash Saturday afternoon, the Huntington County coroner said.

Harold L. Brandenburg died of blunt impact injuries to his body, and his death was ruled accidental, a news release said.

Brandenburg was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle north on SR 5 about 1/4 mile north of County Road 600N at about 11:55 a.m. Saturday.

He struck a guardrail after he failed to navigate a curve in the road, the news release said.

Brandenburg, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle, which came to rest on the embankment on the east side of Indiana 5.

Brandenburg was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

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PLYMOUTH — Snowy conditions may have contributed to a crash on US 31 Monday morning involving a Marshall County Sheriff’s Deputy who had responded to another accident.

The Indiana State Police said the accident happened around 7:30 a.m., while Marshall County Deputy Matthew Brown was working a crash on US 31 near 13th Road.

Brown’s vehicle, a fully marked 2023 Ford Explorer, was parked near the inside shoulder, with emergency lights activated, while he worked on a separate crash involving a vehicle that was in the center median along northbound US 31, according to a news release by the  Indiana State Police.  

A Chevrolet van driven by Carlos Alexis Flores Hernandez, 30, of Peru, lost control as it traveled northbound and sideswiped the left side of Brown’s vehicle.  

Brown was inside his vehicle when it was struck. He was taken to an area hospital to be evaluated and was released.  

Flores Hernandez was found not to have a driver’s license and was arrested by assisting Marshall County deputies.

At the time of the crash, the area was experiencing lake effect snow that made roads slick, requiring reduced speeds.  

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Staff Report

ARGOS — An 80-year-old woman died after a crash Sunday afternoon in Marshall County.

The crash happened around 4 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 31 and SR 10 in Argos.

Carol Ziert, of Culver, was driving west on SR 10 and crossing U.S. 31 when she failed to yield to southbound traffic and was hit by another vehicle.

Ziert was taken to the hospital, where she later died.

The other driver, 48-year-old William James Mramer, was taken to Memorial
Hospital in South Bend with apparent minor injuries.

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LAKE STATION — A truck driver died Monday afternoon in a crash on I-80/94 near Lake Station.

The crash happened around 4 p.m., one mile east of the I-65 interchange, where a gravel truck struck the median wall, according to a news release from Indiana State Polic.

Preliminary reports indicate that the truck was traveling eastbound in the right lane when, for unknown reasons, the truck drove to the left directly into the median wall and an overhead signpost.

This catastrophic impact resulted in the vehicle being engulfed in flames, trapping the driver inside the cab, and the trailer going over the median wall and into the westbound lanes.

The driver, who was not yet identified,j died at the scene.

The impact of the crash resulted in gravel being thrown across all lanes of the westbound interstate.

The Lake Station Fire Department responded to the scene and put out the fire.

IDEM (Indiana Department of Emergency Management) was also contacted due to burning oil that had drained into the sewer system of the interstate. As of 7:00 p.m. Monday, the eastbound and westbound lanes were all restricted, with traffic able to pass the scene on the right shoulder in both directions.

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ELKHART — A Milford man was killed Wednesday evening when the bicycle he was riding in Elkhart County was hit by a car driven by a Winona Lake man.

According to an Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office crash news release, at about 5:35 p.m. Wednesday, a 2006 Honda Civic, driven by Nathaniel Franklin, 26, Winona Lake, was traveling south on CR 23, south of CR 48. Lamar Stutzman, 38, Milford, was on a bicycle, also traveling south on CR 23 south of CR 48.

The Honda Civic collided with the rear of the bicycle.

Stutzman was not wearing a helmet, the release said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Franklin was not injured.

The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Team is investigating the incident.

The post Milford bicyclist struck and killed in Elkhart County appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

ELKHART — Two people, including a woman from Milford, died in a crash in Elkhart County on Friday that also injured two others.

The collision happened at about 7:41 a.m. Friday at the corner of County Road 40 and County 17.

Police believe an eastbound Toyota GR8, operated by 24-year-old Alismond Kid Saentavanh, disregarded the stop sign at County Road 40 at County Road 17 and collided with two vehicles in the intersection – one traveling north and the other traveling south.

Donna Rae Gushwa, 69, Milford, who was headed north in a Ford Escape, died at the scene.

Steven Perez, 21, Elkhart, who was driving south in a Ford Explorer also died at the scene.

The Ford Explorer then flipped and collided with a northbound Honda CR-V operated by Susan D. Jacobs. 

Saentavanh, of Wakarusa, was transported to Elkhart General Hospital for complaints of pain and a possible broken collarbone.

Jacobs, 59, Elkhart, was taken to Elkhart General Hospital for a broken ankle, clavicle and knuckles.

The crash remains under investigation.

The post Milford woman among two killed in Elkhart County crash appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — A crash on Tuesday morning claimed the life of a longtime Warsaw teacher.

The accident happened at about 10:45 a.m. at the intersection of State Road 15 and County Road 200S, according to a news release by the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Office.

The collision involved a Nissan pick-up truck and a Freightliner Box truck.

Preliminary investigation determined the Nissan pick-up truck was
northbound on State Road 15 and the Freightliner box truck was
westbound on County Road 200 south. The two vehicles collided in the
intersection.

Gene B. Butts, 94, of Warsaw, was the driver of the Nissan and died at the scene.

Brittany E. Simons, 35, Rochester, was the driver of the Freightliner and was not injured in the crash. Two passengers in her vehicle also escaped injury.

Butts taught for decades at Lincoln Elementary, where he shared his love of history.

Just a few years ago, Butts joined others in defending the importance of protecting a huge historic Sycamore tree a block from the school after it was initially targeted for removal.

The accident remains under investigation by the KCSO FACT Team.

Assisting at the scene were the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, Lutheran EMS, Reichert & Knepp Wrecker Service, Indiana State Police and the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office.

The post UPDATE: Former teacher killed in SR 15 collision Tuesday morning appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

News Release

ELKHART — A Nappanee man died in a three-vehicle crash on US 20 Thursday afternoon.

The accident happened around 2:55 p.m. on US 20 east of CR 13.

Nenad Stankovic, 60, Chicago, Ill., was operating a Volvo semitractor/trailer on US 20 when it rear-ended a Jeep Liberty driven by Jerry Lamb, 64, of Nappane.

The crash impact pushed Lamb's vehicle into the back of a  Ford F550, operated by David Wesley Pilditch, 47, New Haven, according to the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office.

Lamb died from injuries in the accident.

A passenger in his vehicle, Glenn Freel, 54, Nappanee, suffered a laceration and was taken to a South Bend hospital.

Neither Stankovic nor Pilditch was injured.

The post UPDATE: Nappanee man killed in US 20 crash Thursday afternoon appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

COLUMBIA CITY — Two people died and four were hurt in a head-on collision on SR 9 in Whitley County Wednesday afternoon.

The crash happened around 2:40 p.m. when a Dodge Avenger passenger car carrying six people and headed south on SR 9 crossed the center line at the intersection of County Road 500N and struck a Ford F-350 pickup truck that was headed north, according to a news release from Indiana State Police.

Those who died included the driver of the Dodge, 17-year-old Helmin Ruiz, of Huntington, and a passenger, 40-year-old Trinidad Vasquez of Fort Wayne.

Four other passengers in the Dodge were transported to a local hospital for medical treatment for injuries that range from minor to severe. Those included Jeremias Vazquez (20), Rolando Garcia (35), Jose Mena (59) and Auara Solano (31), all of Huntington

This crash is still under investigation.

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COLUMBIA CITY  — Authorities say a woman died early Thursday morning after the car she was driving collided with a truck on US 30 on the far east side of Whitley County.

The crash at around 3 a.m. forced the closure of the westbound lanes of US 30 for several hours near County Line Road.

The Allen County Sheriff’s Department said they believe the semi was stopped at a traffic light when the car rear-ended the trailer.

The woman driving the car died at the scene.

Her identity has not yet been released.

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