By HOLLY GASKILL
and SYDNEY KENT
Two Wells County teens, including a Norwell High School sophomore, were pronounced dead at the scene of an accident Sunday evening.
According to a press release from the Wells County Sheriff’s Department, the accident involved a dirt bike, ATV and passenger vehicle on Wells County Road 100 West in the area north of State Road 116 in Uniondale just after 8 p.m.
A witness told officers that the bike had attempted to move into the southbound lane for oncoming traffic but lost control due to road conditions. The bike fell on its side and slid in front of a passenger vehicle, which then ran over the bike and its driver, Keaton Osmun, 17, rural Ossian.
At the same time, an ATV veered off the roadway on the west side, striking a utility pole. Driver Lillyian Ellenberger, 19, rural Ossian, was ejected.
Osmun and Ellenberger were found unresponsive at the scene. According to the WCSD, life-saving efforts were attempted, but both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The press release noted that both individuals were wearing helmets.
According to the dispatch log, the driver of the vehicle, Krysta Graft, 23, rural Ossian, was transported to Bluffton Regional Medical Center for a blood draw. That is required in fatal accidents.
No arrests have been made at this time, and the investigation is ongoing.
Just over a year ago, Osmun had been seriously injured after he and Kaylee Heckber, 18, Ossian, were in a vehicle that was T-boned on Adams County Road 700 West at the intersection of Ind. 124. At the time, both were transported to Lutheran Hospital and ultimately recovered.
The driver in the 2023 accident, Christen Gerber, 42, Bluffton, was charged with Level 4 and Level 5 felonies for causing catastrophic injury with a vehicle while intoxicated. The case was set for a jury trial last August, but Adams County Prosecutor Jeremy Brown said the trial has been delayed as the prosecution determines whether the Level 4 felony, accounting for long-standing injuries, is applicable.
A pre-trial conference is scheduled for April 15, where Brown expects to know if the case will go to trial or if a plea deal will be met.
holly@news-banner.com
sydney@news-banner.com
