The body of Thomas Haskins was a day away from being cremated – and his closest kin didn’t even know he was dead.A 13-year-old girl from Fort Wayne has become the second person to die from injuries suffered in a Friday morning crash in DeKalb County, according to the Indiana State Police.
The crash happened about 8:30 a.m. just north of the Allen-DeKalb county line. A 1993 Lincoln two-door car and a 1996 Jeep sport utility vehicle collided head-on in a curve on Indiana 1.
A back-seat passenger in the Lincoln, 13-year-old Aiyana Mills, was hospitalized Friday in critical condition, and she died Saturday afternoon, police said.
Officers did not know whether she was wearing a seat belt.
The front-seat passenger of the Lincoln, Ryan K. Turner, 45, of Butler, died at the scene.
He was wearing a seat belt, police said.
The Lincoln driver, Melissa Mills, 33, of Fort Wayne, received a head injury.
The Jeep driver, Ashley Crow, 28, of St. Joe, suffered internal injuries, according to police.
Both women were taken to Parkview Regional Medical Center, where they were in fair condition Saturday, hospital staff said.
Because of differing accounts from drivers and witnesses, the Indiana State Police were called to reconstruct the crash.
The findings of the investigation were still pending.
The crash caused authorities to close Indiana 1 between the county line and County Road 68 about four hours until the scene was cleared.
