Crash Injures Elkhart DriverAn Elkhart man is in serious but stable condition in Fort Wayne after a one-car accident early this morning.
According to the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, Jermirah L. Bratcher, 31, Elkhart, the driver of a vehicle that hit a utility pole on Ind. 15 early this morning.
A passing motorist saw a vehicle off the road and called the police around 2:21 a.m. today. When officers from the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department arrived at the scene on the 4,000 block of Ind. 15, they found Bratcher in a vehicle that had hit the pole.Bratcher was extricated from the vehicle and taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital. From KCH, he was airlifted to Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital.
The Kosciusko County crash investigation team determined that Bratcher was northbound on Ind. 15 when he crossed the center line and continued off the west side of the road, hitting a NIPSCO utility pole. Bratcher did not appear to be wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, and alcohol could be a factor in the accident. Pending blood tests will determine if alcohol was a factor.
The Claypool Police Department, Claypool Fire Department, Multi-Township EMS and the crash investigation team assisted the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department at the scene.
