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MENTONE - Alcohol was definitely a factor in a car accident that killed one man late Tuesday night, according to an Indiana State Police investigator.
Sgt. Lou Brown said all three men in the car that struck a utility pole on Ind. 19, near Mentone, at 11:39 p.m. were above the legal limit for drinking and driving. But police said they do not know who was driving the car.
Bobby Clark, 40, Milfield, Ohio, was killed and two others injured when they were ejected from the car.
Clark was pronounced dead at Kosciusko Community Hospital from massive chest injuries.
One passenger, Terry Sabo, 37, Etna Green, was taken to Parkview Memorial Hospital, Fort Wayne, with a skull fracture. He is listed in critical condition.
The other passenger, Jimmy Sabo, 37, Warsaw, was taken to KCH and treated for a head injury then released. He was later booked into Kosciusko County Jail and charged with public intoxication, possession of marijuana and visiting a common nuisance.
Sabo was arrested on the first two charges in connection with the accident, but a state police official was not sure of the reason for the third charge.
Indiana State Police troopers said the car was southbound on Ind. 19, near Pearl Street, Mentone, when the driver apparently lost control.
The vehicle slid off the east side of the road, hitting a utility pole with the passenger's side of the car. The car then spun around and tipped on its side, ejecting Clark and Terry Sabo.
According to State Police reports, none of the men was wearing a seatbelt. The investigating troopers said that wearing seatbelts could have reduced the injuries the three men suffered.
The State Police are continuing the investigation into the accident and are planning to recreate the scene today.
The Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department assisted at the scene.
