Crash involving moped leaves two dead (Update)
Update: Indiana State Police have released the names of the two individuals killed in the crash Saturday evening.
According to police, James Posey, 26, of Jasper, and his passenger, 25-year-old Ashley Stephens, of Jasper, had stopped their moped in the roadway before they were struck.
Original:
Two people were killed when the moped they were on was struck by a pick-up truck Saturday evening west of Ireland.
According to state police, Benjamin Braunecker, 27, of Jasper, was eastbound on State Road 56 at about 8:35 9:35 p.m. when he encountered a moped with two riders stopped in the roadway just east of County Road 600 West. Braunecker was unable to avoid the moped and struck them with his 1995 Dodge Ram pick-up truck. The moped was dragged about 200 feet before coming to a stop. One rider was thrown from the moped; the second was pinned under the truck.
The driver of the moped was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Dubois County Coroner’s Office. The passenger was transported to Memorial Hospital in Jasper where she died shortly after arriving.
Names of the deceased will be released at a later time, once notifications have been made to their families.
The crash remains under investigation by Indiana State Police crash reconstructionists.
State Police was assisted by the Dubois County Sheriff’s Department, Ireland Fire Department, Memorial Hospital EMS, and the Dubois County Coroner’s Office.
The original information from state police stated the time of the crash was 8:35 p.m. however the crash actually occurred at 9:35 p.m.
Prayers for all the families …
…..
So sorry for all involved
My thoughts and prayers are with all those involved… May they feel the love of God’s healing embrace!
Agreed!
They will be missed and why ain’t the killer in jail
Shame on you!!! The moped driver was sitting in the middle of the road with no lights. The truck driver did not see him until it was too late. It was 9:30 at night and it was DARK. The pickup driver feels bad enough and will have to live with this for the rest of his life because of some stupidity of the moped driver. You owe that truck driver an apology.
And yes,…. these mopeds should not be allowed on the highway!! I’m surprised there aren’t more fatalities.
Agree with Jane. It’s a shame it happened for all concerned. But the driver of the truck is not killer.
Prayers for the families and the driver!
I’m so sorry to hear this RIP to them both… Fly high with the Angels young ones!¡! Prayers both families…
Yes, while indeed tragic and with all condolences and respect, I’m surprised (but thankful) this sort of thing involving mopeds and scooters – aka ‘accidents waiting to happen’ – hasn’t happened more often. These two-wheeled ‘attractive hazards’ ought not be allowed on any U.S. highways or state roads, nor on any streets anywhere with speed limits over 25. The recent licensing upgrades for registering and operating these vehicles wasn’t enough then, and it’s not enough now. Being “so sorry” and offering “prayers for all the families” – while thoughtfully and respectfully intended – isn’t enough to just be uttered as usual until the next one happens and then lamented again, with little or no thought to the how or why it happened and how to prevent another.
We need to be learning from the circumstances once the investigations are complete and causes are determined, get the results out there to the public in a timely manner for all to learn, and then actively use those results to effect discussions and changes to hopefully prevent another similar tragedy. Way too many “under investigation” results never come out or are never reported. This needs to change.
I have no facts beyond this initial story – no way to know why the moped was stopped – but at 8:35 it certainly wasn’t yet dark or twilight, and with the truck traveling east, the sun wasn’t in his eyes – plus a moped isn’t exactly an XL road hog that blocks the entire lane and that can’t usually be easily avoided if excessive speed and/or distraction-inattention issues weren’t factors. Indeed the moped’s limited size may have been a contributing factor – they’re too small, too slow, usually not operated properly, and simply are not a safe mix on various higher-speed roads and highways. Still, it’s not enough to simply accept that the pick-up’s driver “wasn’t able to avoid the moped” in clear daylight, looking down the highway as he should have been (or maybe just looking down at ???) while striking it with such force that both the moped and one of the victims was slammed underneath the truck and dragged for 200 feet! My God! Two people are DEAD! WHY???
Mrs. Green is 100% correct. I have wondered for years WHY these scooters are allowed to be operated on roads and highways outside city limits. They are all accidents waiting to happen. Scooters are typically not capable of going over 30-35 mph and therefore should not be in traffic going 55 mph.
There is a very simple solution to this problem: Ban all scooters from all roads and highways outside city/town limits. Problem solved. And this tragic accident would not have happened if such common sense legislation were in place.
Oh, I used the words common sense. Sorry, I forgot. Common sense does not apply to those in the State House who would rather raise the gas tax and try to make all Indiana interstates into toll roads.
If we are going to ban scooters from the highways outside town limits because they don’t go fast enough then will have to ban bicycles,farm equipment,walking,running you get the picture now I agree about the gas tax but your own hometown boy helped write that bill common sense with a 2.4 billion surplus it’s easy to raise taxes but hard to find cuts just lazy
James posey was a great guy i use to work with him..Im very sorry for his family. .My heart goes out to them..very sad to see a young man go this way..HE WILL BE MISSED BY MANY.. REST IN PEACE BRO……………..
First, the time of the accident was 9:30 not 8:30. State Police on Evansville time caused the error in reporting. Point is, it was plenty dark at the time of the accident.
Second point: Based on conversations I have had, the Moped was stopped, broadside (facing north) in the East bound lane of 56, with lights off. Efforts to cast blame on the driver with only the facts found in the posted story are beyond reasonable.
Third: At least one other driver encountered this Moped on or near this intersection about 10 mins before the accident with very nearly the same results. Only the fact the driver had slowed to turn off the hiway saved the situation.
Final point, something really weird was going on here and it wasn’t a guy driving home after work.
I knew the two who were killed. It’s a tragedy of course. My sincere condolences to their families. However, they were apparently stopped on a lights-out moped in the middle of a 55mph road. I feel very sorry for the driver that hit them. Could have been any of us. People calling for him to be punished need to consider if that were them driving on a dark road at night.
Get a grip. No one is or was “calling for him to be punished.” Amazing. Rather, there can be many factors involved beyond the obvious, and what part might he and his actions or inactions have played in this accident? They can’t or shouldn’t be discounted despite darkness and a dark scooter stopped in the road. And yes, it indeed could have been any of us – on either end. Let’s allow the investigation to play out and we’ll hopefully learn something – once all the facts possible have been determined and reported. Thanks to the DCFP and others who have stayed with this by inquiring and bringing out more info about the circumstances. Agree a tragedy for all involved including families and friends.
The deceased young man is my son’s cousin, & why he did not have his headlights on is unknown to us but the guess to why they were stopped is that he dropped something, possibly his hat, & he simply stopped to pick it up. Before everyone points fingers as to who is to blame, let’s remember…both families are affected by this tragedy. The driver said he did not see the.moped until he was right on it so chances are the moped riders (my son’s cousin & his passenger) did not see the truck either. James Posey was his parents only child & they will grieve this loss for a long time to come.
Also, to Jane Werner & ur comment…before u go calling someone u know nothing about, who has passed in an untimely manner, stupid…well, maybe u should quit throwing stones or move out of ur glass house.