DeMotte, Ind. – A three-vehicle crash at a busy Jasper County intersection left two adults and a young child with serious injuries Wednesday morning, prompting hours-long road closures and an ongoing criminal investigation.
According to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at approximately 10:31 a.m. Wednesday to multiple 911 calls reporting a crash at State Road 10 and County Road 1200 West in DeMotte. Preliminary investigators said Kimberly Bansley, 57, of Portage, was driving a 2003 Buick LeSabre southbound on County Road 1200 West and crossing SR 10 while Paul Trapp, 73, of Cape Coral, Florida, was turning eastbound onto SR 10 in a semi-tractor trailer. Authorities allege that Emmanuel Lopez Tlacomulco, 38, of East Chicago, was driving a semi eastbound on SR 10, disregarded a red light and struck Bansley’s vehicle, pushing it into Trapp’s truck.
Bansley, Trapp and Bansley’s 3-year-old grandchild suffered significant injuries. Officials said Bansley was flown by STAT Flight to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois, while the child was airlifted by Lutheran Air to the University of Chicago Children’s Hospital. Trapp was transported by Keener Township EMS to Franciscan Health Crown Point.
The sheriff’s office said Lopez was detained, taken to Franciscan Health in Rensselaer for medical evaluation and later arrested pending criminal charges. Authorities also stated he did not possess a driver’s license, including a commercial driver’s license. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has placed a hold on Lopez, according to the sheriff’s office.
The intersection remained closed for investigation and crash reconstruction until approximately 5:30 p.m. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office is leading the criminal investigation, while the Indiana State Police is conducting the crash reconstruction. The investigation remains ongoing, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
