Press Release

LIGONIER — Indiana State Police responded Sunday afternoon to the West Noble Middle School parking lot to investigate a reported vehicle crash involving a pedestrian. At the time of the incident the West Noble School Corporation was conducting a weekly food drive on school grounds.

At approximately 2:15 p.m. officers arriving found paramedics ahead of them already tending to a 13-year-old male patient. It was learned the injured teen was a volunteer worker who had been loading donated food items into the trunk of a car. The child’s parents were on scene at the time of the incident, also volunteering, and immediately called for help. Paramedics transported the child from the scene to Parkview Regional Medical Center with serious but non-life threatening injuries to both legs.

Trooper Justin Snyder investigated the crash. His preliminary investigation revealed a vehicle crash occurred in the school parking lot, within the line of vehicles waiting to receive food donations being loaded by volunteer workers. A Jeep Liberty passenger car driven by Alice Johnson, 84, Ligonier, pulled up to the line of waiting vehicles and, for an unknown reason, she failed to get her vehicle stopped. Johnson’s vehicle crashed into the rear of a Ford Escape passenger car. That impact pushed the Ford Escape passenger car forward, crashing into the rear of a Chevrolet Trailblazer being loaded by the 13-year-old volunteer worker, pinning the child between the two vehicles until help could arrive.

The crash remains under investigation. Johnson was not immediately cited for a specific violation. Snyder’s completed investigation will be turned over to the Noble County Prosecutor’s Office for review and determination if charges are to be filed.

Snyder was assisted at the scene by the Noble County Sheriff’s Department, Ligonier Police Department, Parkview EMS and West Noble School administration.