ATWOOD – An Etna Green man died Friday night after a two-car accident near Atwood. According to a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department press release, KCSD deputies and emergency responded at 7:32 p.m. Friday to the intersection of U.S. 30 and CR 800W in regards to a 911 report of a property damage accident. At approximately 7:38 p.m., Kosciusko County Central Dispatch received a secondary call of a personal injury crash at the same location. Emergency responders arrived and located a blue 2001 Ford Mustang that had been struck from behind by a 2003 Buick LeSabre, driven by Danielle Lynn Underwood, 29, Fort Wayne. A passenger inside of the Ford Mustang, identified as Donald T. Steward, 51, Etna Green, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Kosciusko County Coroner’s Office from blunt force trauma. Kosciusko County Fatal Alcohol Crash Team members stated that a preliminarily investigation into the crash determined that the shortly after the initial call of a property damage crash at 7:32 p.m., the Ford Mustang, driven by Bert A. Hyde, 25, Etna Green, had stopped near the edge of the westbound passing lane of U.S. 30. Hyde had purportedly exited his vehicle to assist in the original property damage vehicular accident, when his Mustang was then struck by the westbound Buick LeSabre driven by Underwood. Underwood was transported by Lutheran Kosciusko EMS to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne, in serious condition. The Kosciusko County FACT and Kosciusko County coroner’s office were assisted at the scene by members of the Atwood and Etna Green Fire Departments, Lutheran Kosciusko EMS and the KCSD.
