Investigation determined deaths of Indiana Rep. and three others as accidental

Last month, authorities ended their investigation into the vehicle accident that claimed the life of Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.). They found that the car driven by one of Walorski’s staff members was responsible for the accident.

According to a statement issued by the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office on Friday, Zachery Potts was driving a Toyota RAV4 in the northbound direction when he drifted into the southbound lane while attempting to pass a flat-bed truck. During Potts’s effort to get around the truck, the Toyota got into a collision with a Buick that was heading south.

In addition, the office came to the conclusion that the accident was caused in part by excessive speed. The Toyota was traveling at a speed of 82 miles per hour about five seconds before the incident happened, as shown by the evidence gathered during the reconstruction of the accident. Before the airbags deployed, the car was “coasting,” and its speed had dropped to 77 miles per hour for a few moments.

Walorski, Potts, and Emma Thomson, who served as Walorski’s communications director, were all killed in an accident that took place on August 3 at around 12:30 p.m. Edith Schmucker, who was driving the Buick, was another victim of the crash.

The dislocation of Walorski’s cervical spine that occurred as a direct consequence of the accident was determined to be the cause of his death, as determined by the coroner for Elkhart County, Indiana. The collision left Potts, Thomson, and Schmucker with various injuries, which ultimately led to their deaths, according to the findings of the coroner.

A day after the collision, the police released an updated version of their first report, which said that the automobile in which Walorski was a passenger had crossed the centerline of the state highway and had been the primary contributor to the head-on collision. The first report from the authorities said that Schmucker’s vehicle had crossed into the path of the Toyota.

Data from the airbag control module, according to a press statement from the sheriff’s office, indicates that Potts was steering the Toyota to the left just before to the collision.

After checking mobile phone records from all passengers of both cars, investigators could not locate any indication of cell phone use prior to the collision. They found no indication either of mechanical problems or of any other kind.

“All of the evidence and information gathered is consistent with someone attempting to pass another vehicle on a two-lane roadway,” the release states.

The Indiana State Police and the sheriff’s office worked together to do a separate review of the evidence. Both agencies came to the same conclusions as a result of the investigation.

Since 2013, Walorski has served as the representative for Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, and he was seeking reelection in this year’s election. In November, there will be both a general election and a special election to fill her position for the remaining two years of her term. The winner of the general election will be elected to the seat for the subsequent two years.