Fatal I-69 Amish Crash

Tools

Fatal I-69 Amish Crash

By Corinne Rose

(Near Muncie, IN) -- Five are dead -- including three children -- and eleven injured after a van carrying more than 15 people crashed on I-69 late Sunday afternoon.

State troopers say the crash near Muncie involved a van carrying Amish passengers... possibly two families -- one they think from Allen County, the other from southern Indiana.

Witnesses told police the van was heading south when it careened through the grassy median and flipped several times into the northbound lanes.

Two adults and three children, from an infant to 12 years old, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Four of the five people who died were thrown from the van, the other was trapped inside the wreckage.

It's not known whether the van's driver is among the dead.

And with such a complicated crash scene, state police investigators have their hands full, trying to reconstruct what happened.

Sgt. Rod Russell\Indiana State Police: " It's undetermined whether they were or were not wearing their seatbelts. There is evidence that there were child restraint devices in the vehicle, or child seats in the vehicle. Whether or nor everyone was buckled up, it's undetermined. We may never know that part."

We do know that some of the 11 injured people were taken to Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, and that five patients are being treated at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, which is a Level One trauma center.

While police may never know what caused the crash, they are looking at a tire failure as the possible cause, but they're not sure whether the damage came before -- or during -- the crash.

Police have released the names of the victims.
Melvin Fisher, age 39, Rockville, Indiana, father and van driver: deceased
Savilla Fisher, age unknown, Rockville, Indiana, mother: deceased
Ruben Fisher, age 16, Rockville, Indiana, son: deceased
Christian Fisher, age 11, Rockville, Indiana, son: deceased
Eli Fisher, age 1, Rockville, Indiana, son: deceased
Leon Fisher, age 13, Rockville, Indiana, son: injured, Methodist
Hospital
Melvin Fisher Jr., age 9, Rockville, Indiana, son: injured, Ball
Memorial Hospital
Steven Fisher, age 4, Rockville, Indiana, son: injured, Lutheran
Hospital
Solome Fisher, age 7, Rockville, Indiana, daughter: injured,
Riley Children's Hospital

Joseph Lengacher, age unknown, New Haven, Indiana, father:
injured, Ball Memorial Hospital
Ida Lengacher, age 32, New Haven, Indiana, wife: injured,
Methodist Hospital
Matthew Lengacher, age 9, New Haven, Indiana, son, injured: Ball
Memorial Hospital
Mary Lengacher, age 7, New Haven, Indiana, daughter, injured:
Methodist Hospital
Nathan Lengacher, age 5, New Haven, Indiana, son, injured:
Methodist Hospital
Julia Lengacher, age 3, New Haven, Indiana, daughter, injured:
Methodist Hospital
John Lengacher, age 1, New Haven, Indiana, son, injured:
Methodist Hospital

If this crash sounds familiar, even the state troopers on the scene were saying this crash was eerily reminiscent of the 2006 Taylor University crash, which happened about 20 miles from this crash site, and also killed five people.

More Good Stuff

Icon
Current Temp 39.0 °F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind : Calm
Humidity : 89 %
Pressure : 1022.6 mb
More Weather

On Demand

Stock Quotes

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.