By GLEN WERLING
One person was killed and one injured in an early morning crash Friday at the intersection of U.S. 224 and 300W.
The driver of one of the vehicles, Matthew K. Woods, 57, Huntington, was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the other vehicle, Kaden Kyle Kaiser, 21, Poneto, was taken by Wells County EMS to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne.
According to a press release from the Wells County Sheriff’s Department the 5:45 a.m. crash happened as Kaiser was driving north on 300W. He failed to see the stop sign and entered the intersection at road speed in a 1998 Ford F-150 pickup truck.
The truck slammed into the side of Woods’ westbound 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer causing the smaller sport utility vehicle to spin around 180 degrees off the northwest corner of the intersection, flattening the stop sign for southbound traffic on 300W. The Trailblazer then rolled multiple times before coming to a stop in a farm field facing east. Woods remained inside the vehicle.
The pickup truck spun around 90 degrees and came to a stop facing westbound in a field. The front end damage to the pickup truck was so extensive that the truck caught on fire.
Markle Fire Rescue and Wells County EMS were dispatched to the scene.
Both vehicles were total losses.
An Indiana State Police accident reconstructionist was called to the scene. Also assisting were the Markle Police Department, the Wells County Coroner’s office and Freeman’s Towing.
glenw@news-banner.com
