Knox woman dies after ORV accident

A Knox woman was declared deceased following an off-road vehicle (ORV) accident that occurred Sunday evening.

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, shortly after 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, Conservation Officers were called to the area of State Road 10 near the Bass Lake Beach for a serious ORV accident.

Shortly after arrival, the passenger, who was identified as 39-year-old Misti Staton, of Knox, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The operator, 28-year-old Knox resident Dalton Minix, was transported to Starke Hospital with a head injury.

According to the IDNR press release, witnesses reported observing the side-by-side style ORV traveling southbound on SR 10 when it failed to negotiate a turn at a high rate of speed. The ORV left the roadway, rolled and both occupants were ejected.

It was noted that neither occupant was wearing a helmet or utilizing the vehicle’s seatbelts at the time of the crash.

Authorities say that the investigation into this incident is ongoing but impairment of alcohol is suspected to be a contributing factor. Once completed, all findings will be forwarded to the Starke County Prosecutor’s Office.

At the end of their release, Indiana Conservation Officers included reminder for Hoosiers, stating that ORV traffic is prohibited on Indiana State highways. Additional information about ORV safety can be found at offroad-ed.com/indiana.