One of the vehicles involved in the accident.

1^st Sgt. Chad D. Hill
Public Information Officer

WARSAW — A four vehicle crash along U.S. 30 in Kosciusko County has left three people injured, two critical, and one dead.

Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department Deputies and emergency personnel responded this morning to a vehicular crash on U.S. 30, just west of County Road 450 East, at approximately 9:35 a.m.  Sheriff’s Deputies arrived and found both lanes of U.S. 30 were closed due to multiple vehicles damaged, along with a victim lying unconscious in the middle of the eastbound lanes.

Kosciusko County Fatal Team reconstructionist arrived, and preliminarily determined that a 2004 Mitsubishi, driven by Kirsten Kalene Ganshorn, 17, Walkerton, was eastbound on U.S. 30, passing a 2011 Ford F150 pickup truck driven by Ronald E. Deck, 68, Warsaw.  Ganshorn’s vehicle clipped Deck’s pickup truck, sending both vehicles into the median area of U.S. 30.  Deck was able to steer his vehicle back onto the roadway surface of U.S. 30, but Ganshorn’s vehicle spun out-of-control, crossing the median backwards until it impacted the front of a 2007 Chevrolet flatbed truck, driven by John D. Wise, 49, of Larwill.  Upon impact, Ganshorn was ejected from her vehicle onto the roadway. 

The Wise vehicle, which was travelling westbound bound in the passing lane, was then propelled into an additional westbound vehicle travelling beside him.  That vehicle, a 2013 Ford Escape, driven by Barbara A. Slater, 83, Claypool, continued off the westbound lanes of U.S. 30 and over an embankment.  Officers stated that an additional vehicle that had been westbound and witnessed the crash had received damage to her SUV due to flying debris from the collision.

Kosciusko County Coroner Anthony Ciriello arrived at the scene, and pronounced Ganshorn deceased from multiple blunt force trauma injuries.  Ashley Nicole Demont, 17, Argos, had been a front seat passenger in the Ganshorn vehicle, and was airlifted from the scene unconscious and in critical condition with multiple injuries. Wise was also airlifted from the scene in critical condition, and taken to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, with multiple injuries as well.  Deck and Slater were taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital, Warsaw, to be medically cleared, with Slater having slight bruising.

Kosciusko County Fatal Team members stated that the crash is still under investigation.

Fact Team reconstructionist were assisted at the scene by Warsaw/Wayne Fire Territory, Lutheran E.M.S., Parkview E.M.S., Winona Lake Police Dept., Pierceton Police Dept., Warsaw Police Dept., Indiana Conservation Officers, Indiana State Police, and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.

Two vehicles ended up in an embankment.