13-Year-Old Airlifted After One-Vehicle Accident

LEESBURG - A 13-year-old Pendleton girl is in serious condition at Parkview Hospital, Fort Wayne, after a 9:05 p.m. accident Wednesday.

Christine Armington was transferred by helicopter ambulance to Parkview from Kosciusko Community Hospital. Two other passengers in the vehicle, Keith Atkinson, 15, and Megan Armington, 15, were treated at KCH and released. The driver, John R. Armington, 64, Pendleton, and a front seat passenger, Jana Armington, no age available, reportedly refused medical attention.

The accident occurred on Stanton Lake Road, 350 feet west of Stanton Drive, Leesburg.

According to Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Chad Hill, the group was in the area visiting friends. John Armington was unfamiliar with Stanton Lake Road, came upon a sharp curve at the edge of Stanton Lake Estates and "he was probably going too fast," Hill said. The vehicle began to drop off the edge of the road and slide sideways.

To avoid a utility pole, John Armington overcorrected and went off the other side of the road, according to a police report. The vehicle slid against a fence, causing fence boards to fly into the car. More damage was caused to the vehicle by the fence than by the actual accident, Hill said.

He said there was no detection of alcohol involved.

Damage to Armington's vehicle is estimated at $5,000 to $10,000. The Stanton Lake Estates fence had $750 to $1,000 in damages.