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Police have made a determination in the deadly crash that killed Indiana Republican Rep. Jackie Walorski and three other people last month.
According to a report from the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle Walorski was riding in, a Toyota RAV4, was determined to have been “at fault” in the crash.
“Our investigation has determined that the cause of the crash was driving left of center with a contributing factor of excessive speed,” said a sheriff’s office press release on Friday. “The at-fault vehicle was the Toyota RAV4 driven by Zachery Potts.”
As reported by Fox News:
The 58-year-old congresswoman and two of her staffers, 27-year-old Potts and 28-year-old Emma Thomson, were killed last month after the car they were riding in collided with 56-year-old Edith Schmucker on an Indiana highway, killing Schmucker as well.
The final report explained that a witness recounted the Toyota RAV4 being driven by the 27-year-old Potts trailing a flat-bed truck before slowing down in an apparent attempt to create space between the two cars.
“The Toyota was then observed accelerating to a high rate of speed, closing the distance to the unidentified truck,” the sheriff’s report said, according to Fox News. “As the Toyota neared the rear of the truck, it swerved into the southbound lane at which it collided with the southbound Buick driven by Edith Schmucker.”
Authorities said that data gleaned from the vehicle’s airbag monitoring system recorded high rates of speed shortly before the crash. For instance, the RAV4 was traveling at 82 miles per hour just five seconds before impact, while a millisecond before the crash the vehicle was 77 miles per hour.
“The airbag control module data also showed that the driver of the Toyota RAV4 steered the vehicle left just prior to the crash,” says the report. “The amount of steering input was consistent with normal operation of the vehicle and was consistent with the eyewitness account.”
“All of the evidence and information gathered is consistent with someone attempting to pass another vehicle on a two-lane roadway,” the report concluded.
Police said the investigation showed that no one in Walorski’s vehicle was using a cell phone immediately before the collision.
Several lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and others responded to the horrific news of the Indiana Republican’s death.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am sharing this statement from the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski,” Republican House Minority Leader and California Rep. Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter.
“I’m shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and the other victims of this terrible crash. Though we came from very different places politically, she was always prepared to work together where there was common ground, always decent and straightforward, and she cared deeply about her work and her constituents,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter.
“Jackie was a very good friend. I’m devastated. This is a major loss for our community,” Rep. Jake Teshka said.
“I’m truly devastated. Jackie loved Hoosiers and devoted her life to fighting for them. I’ll never forget her spirit, her positive attitude, and most importantly her friendship. All of Indiana mourns her passing, along with the tragic deaths of her staff Emma Thomson and Zach Potts. Please join me in praying for their families in this difficult time,” Sen. Todd Young said in a tweet.
“Just seeing the awful news about Rep. Jackie Walorski. Heartbreaking. I’ll be praying for her family after this awful and shocking tragedy. May God surround and comfort them all,” Rep. Lauren Boebert said.
“I am stunned to hear about the death of my friend and colleague, Jackie Walorski. Our offices neighbor each other in DC, and I was honored to call her my friend. Please join Brenda and me in praying for Jackie’s family and for the families of the others who lost their lives,” Tennessee Rep. Chuck Fleischmann said.
“My prayers are with the family and staff of my colleague, Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and the others who were tragically killed in a traffic collision today. Please keep them in your thoughts,” Rep. Val Demmings added.
