02/25/13 Shortly after 8:30 a.m. Friday morning, Indiana State Police officers and rescue personnel from Marshall County responded to an accident on US 31 and 4A Road that claimed the life of a Plymouth woman. Police and rescue personnel arrived on the scene to find a 1999 Ford Escort in the ditch west of US 31 and a 2011 Jeep Laredo in the center median.
Preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police Crash Re-constructionists revealed that the driver of the Ford, Alice M. Garner, 86, of Plymouth, was driving east on 4A Road. Garner was attempting to cross south bound US 31 when she pulled into the path of the oncoming Jeep. A witness to the crash stated that she saw Garner stop at the intersection, but then watched in disbelief as she pulled out in front of the Jeep.
The driver of the south bound Jeep, Jack Teska Jr., 54, of Nappanee, received only minor injuries in the crash and was treated by medical personnel at the scene. Garner suffered a severe head injury in the accident and was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Plymouth where she later died from her injuries. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts.
The roads were snow and ice covered at the time of the accident. However, the poor conditions do not appear to be a factor in the crash.
