Tragedy: Crash Kills another Teen
(February 27, 2005)

        CRASH KILLS ANOTHER LOCAL TEENAGER

        On February 26, 2005 at about 9:44p.m, Sheriff's dispatchers received a report of a motor vehicle crash in the 2400 block of South Emerson Avenue in rural unincorporated Greenwood, Johnson County.  Sheriff's Office Crash Investigators Deputy Andy Fisher and Deputy Bryan Wolfe responded to the scene.  The crash investigation found that a Blue 2002 Chevrolet Camaro was southbound on Emerson Avenue when the 17-year old driver lost control of the vehicle.  The vehicle entered a critical yaw and left the roadway striking an earth ditch embankment then a Power Utility Pole.  The pole snapped off and the car span from the pole;  The driver, Kelly McPeak of Whiteland, was not wearing his seat belt.  He was ejected from the vehicle and landed in a farm field.  As a result of the crash, Kelly suffered fatal internal injuries.  The passenger, 17-year old Michael Clark of Greenwood, was wearing a seat belt.  He suffered only a broken nose in the crash, and he was subsequently treated and released from Methodist Hospital.  The Camaro hit the power pole with such force that the drivers' side door was ripped off of the vehicle; Debris from the car was located 151'6" from the point of impact.  A speed analysis of the crash scene was conducted by Crash Investigators and it was determined that the minimum speed the Camaro was traveling when it struck the utility pole was 79 miles per hour.  Alcohol or other impairing substances are not suspected in this crash. 

        The Sheriff's Office cannot emphasize enough the importance to all drivers about their responsibility to drive with due care and wear their seat belts.  This type of horrible tragedy and community loss can and must be avoided in the future.  The Sheriff's Office pledges to continue with its Click It or Ticket Seat Belt Enforcement program and aggressively enforce speed regulations throughout the county in an effort to prevent these events.  The men and women of the Sheriff's Office offer our condolences to the McPeak family and the community members affected in this time of loss.

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