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Five people were injured - one critically - in a head-on accident Saturday afternoon near Warsaw.
The driver of one of the vehicles involved, Jose G. Lara, 18, of Hickory Street, Warsaw, suffered head injuries and was semi-conscious at the scene of the 12:10 p.m. accident on Crystal Lake Road, one-half mile east of CR 400W. He was airlifted to Parkview Memorial Hospital, Fort Wayne, where he was listed in critical condition this morning.
According to information from the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, Lara had a blood-alcohol level of .03 percent and tested positive for cocaine in his system. He was cited for driving while intoxicated as a minor with a blood-alcohol level of .02 percent or greater.
Lara and a front-seat passenger, Gavino Gutierrez, 16, of Center Street, Warsaw, were trapped in the car Lara was driving when the vehicle crossed the center line and struck a pickup driven by Paul G. Mangun, 48, of North CR 200S, Mentone. Gutierrez suffered facial bruises, and information as to his medical treatment was not available. Mangun suffered abrasions to his head and was admitted to Kosciusko Community Hospital for observation and later released.
Also injured were two back-seat passengers in Lara's car. Efraen Perez, 41, South Union Street, Warsaw, and Manuel Sanchez, 46, of Abner Phillips Road, Warsaw, both suffered facial abrasions and were admitted to KCH. Both were listed in stable condition this morning.
The accident reported showed that Lara crossed the center line for an unknown reason and that Mangun swerved to avoid the collison but was unable to do so. The accident remains under investigation
