Wednesday Traffic Fatality Caused By Driver's Heart Attack
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
An autopsy performed Thursday on the victim of Wednesday's 8:54 a.m. crash showed that Justin Hostetler, 27, of 9229 W. CR 800S, Claypool, suffered a heart attack before his pickup went off the road.
According to Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd, there were no obvious signs of injury on Hostetler. "The way he drove off the road, he made no attempt to get back on the road," Ladd said today.
Ladd said Hostetler reportedly complained of chest pain previously.
Hostetler was driving west in his pickup on CR 450S from CR 500E, according to a Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department report. The vehicle left the north side of the roadway, went through a small ditch and into a small wooded area where it sideswiped a small tree. The pickup continued westward and came to a stop on a pile of brush.
Hostetler was found face down on the floor of the truck with his head near the passenger door. The truck was still running and in drive when the accident was discovered.
He was transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Hostetler did not appear to be wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, authorities said.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department was assisted at the scene by the Pierceton Fire Department, Pierceton EMS and Multi-Township EMS. The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff's department and the Kosciusko County Coroner's Office.
Hostetler's obituary appears on page 3A of today's Times-Union. [[In-content Ad]]
An autopsy performed Thursday on the victim of Wednesday's 8:54 a.m. crash showed that Justin Hostetler, 27, of 9229 W. CR 800S, Claypool, suffered a heart attack before his pickup went off the road.
According to Kosciusko County Coroner Larry Ladd, there were no obvious signs of injury on Hostetler. "The way he drove off the road, he made no attempt to get back on the road," Ladd said today.
Ladd said Hostetler reportedly complained of chest pain previously.
Hostetler was driving west in his pickup on CR 450S from CR 500E, according to a Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department report. The vehicle left the north side of the roadway, went through a small ditch and into a small wooded area where it sideswiped a small tree. The pickup continued westward and came to a stop on a pile of brush.
Hostetler was found face down on the floor of the truck with his head near the passenger door. The truck was still running and in drive when the accident was discovered.
He was transported to Kosciusko Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Hostetler did not appear to be wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, authorities said.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department was assisted at the scene by the Pierceton Fire Department, Pierceton EMS and Multi-Township EMS. The crash remains under investigation by the sheriff's department and the Kosciusko County Coroner's Office.
Hostetler's obituary appears on page 3A of today's Times-Union. [[In-content Ad]]