FOUNTAIN COUNTY — A five-vehicle crash on State Road 28 near County Road 725E in Fountain County on Monday has claimed the life of a Williamsport woman.
According to the Indiana State Police, Diana L. Hanthorne, 59, died at the scene of the crash, which happened around 6 p.m. approximately 2 miles west of the Tippecanoe County line.
According to an initial press release issued by the ISP, an officer from the Attica Police Department was first to arrive on the scene and determined that one of the vehicles involved had caught fire. Crews from three responding fire departments quickly extinguished the fire. It was later determined that the vehicle that caught fire was Hanthorne’s vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fountain County Coroner.
Emergency medical services from both Fountain and Warren counties, as well as West Point Fire Department, transported four injured occupants to IU Arnett and Franciscan Health Lafayette East. Their conditions are unknown.
A preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police Trooper Thad Decker revealed that a black 2015 Dodge Durango driven by Lacie Wheeler, 36, of Attica had stopped in the westbound lane of State Road 28, and was waiting for oncoming traffic to pass to make a left turn into a driveway. A 2016 silver Chevrolet Equinox driven by Erin Grubb, 21, of Attica also was traveling westbound and did not stop in time, rear-ending the Durango. A black 2020 Ford Edge driven by Hanthorne was also traveling westbound. She swerved into the eastbound lane, colliding head-on with an eastbound white 2019 F-150 driven by Douglas Hubner, 37, of West Lebanon. Hubner’s vehicle was pulling a box trailer. A gray Mazda 3 driven by Avida Bruns, 60, of Fort Wayne was also traveling eastbound and was unable to come to a stop, colliding with the trailer being towed by the F-150.
State Road 28 was closed in both directions between State Road 341 and County Road 725E for approximately four hours for investigation and clean-up.
Crash reconstructionists from the Indiana State Police were called to the scene, and the crash remains under investigation at this time.
Once the investigation has been completed, the full report will be turned over to the Fountain County Prosecutor’s Office for review and determination of any criminal charges.
Trooper Decker was assisted by troopers from the Lafayette Post and Crash Investigation and Reconstruction Team, Fountain County Sheriff’s Department, Attica Police Department, Attica Fire Department, Mellott Fire Department, West Point Fire Department, Fountain County EMS, Warren County EMS, Fountain County Coroner’s Office, Beedle’s Towing and Plunkett’s Towing.
