Indiana State Police sent this bulletin at 06/04/2017 07:12 PM EDT
Jasper County – A single vehicle crash this Sunday, June 4, 2017, afternoon, resulted in a woman and three year-old child being ejected from the car.
Preliminary investigation by Master Trooper Aaron Trammel revealed, at approximately 12:50 p.m., a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, driven by Eric W. Williams, 31 of Kokomo, was south bound on I-65 at the 217 mile marker (this is two miles north of the Rensselaer exit) when his rear tire blew. This caused the SUV to lose control. It went off the roadway to the left, went through the median hit the guard rail that separates north from south bound traffic, went airborne and rolled.
At one point, one of the back seat passengers, Keyida L. Moore, 37 of Kokomo, and Kayla Williams, 3 years old of Kokomo, sitting on Moore’s lap, neither restrained were ejected out the passenger side window. The SUV rolled onto its wheels up against the cable barriers in the median while Moore landed approximately 10 feet north of the SUV. Kayla Williams landed in the median approximately 30 feet from the SUV.
Eric Williams, his front seat passenger Latisha Yancy, 31 of Kokomo, back seat passengers Niyel Williams, 4 of Kokomo, Kayden Yancy, 3 of Kokomo, and Jayden Smith, 2 of Kokomo were taken to Saint Elizabeth East Hospital in Lafayette with non-life threatening injuries. None of the children were in child restraint seats. It is believed they were seat belted with two of the younger ones sharing one seat belt.
Moore and Kayla were also taken to Saint Elizabeth East Hospital where Kayla was later airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital with serious/critical injuries. Moore also received serious injuries.
Indiana law requires all passengers in a moving vehicle be restrained in a seatbelt or child restraint system while the vehicle is in forward motion
Please buckle-up every time, for every trip, long or short.
“Seat belt usage is one of the simplest ways to enhance your safety and reduce injuries in the event of a crash” said Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter. “Trooper’s will aggressively enforce seatbelt usage to advance voluntary compliance and ensure the safety of Hoosier families.”
Assisting: Lake County Sheriff Department, Jasper County Sheriff Department, Rensselaer Fire, and EMS, and Cooper’s Towing
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.