HUNTINGTON COUNTY – A 6-year-old North Manchester boy died and several others were injured in a three-vehicle accident Saturday. Kayden Brubaker 6, North Manchester, died from blunt force trauma to the head and was declared dead at the scene, according to a Huntington County Sheriff’s Department press release. The fatality happed at about 3:52 p.m. Saturday on Ind. 114, approximately 2,220 feet east of CR 200E, Jackson Township, Huntington County. Konner Brubaker, 3, North Manchester, suffered head injuries and was transported to Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne. Kyler Brubaker, 6, North Manchester, suffered unspecified injuries and was treated and released from Lutheran. Kaytlin E. Brubaker, 25, North Manchester, suffered unspecified injuries and was treated and released from Lutheran. Kayden, Kyler and Konner, all rear-seat passengers, were restrained at the time of the accident. Brandon D. Mettler, 31, North Manchester, the driver of vehicle three, a 2015 Dodge Caravan, suffered head and chest injuries and was transported to Lutheran. Steven G. Fosnaugh, 67, Columbia City, driver of vehicle two, a Dodge Ram PU pulling a trailer with farm equipment, reported minor neck pain and refused treatment. Jonathon E. Studebaker, 44, Larwill, driver of vehicle one, also a Dodge Ram PU and pulling a farm cultivator, reported no injuries. According to the press release, vehicles one and two were westbound on Ind. 114. Studebaker’s vehicle was pulling a farm implement. Mettler’s was eastbound on Ind. 114 when his Dodge Caravan made contact with the implement on the left front end. Mettler’s vehicle then made contact with the left side of Fosnaugh’s vehicle and the trailer it was pulling. Mettler’s vehicle then left the roadway off the north side of Ind. 114, went down an embankment and came to rest after striking a tree, the release states. Kayden Brubaker was found by first responders unconscious and unresponsive. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful and he was declared dead at the scene. The release states the investigation is ongoing. Assisting at the scene were the Roanoke Fire Department, Jefferson Township Fire Department, Parkview Huntington and Parkview Whitley EMS, the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, the Whitley County Coroner’s Office and the Huntington County Coroner’s Office.
