Police rescue women whose car flipped

Emergency personnel struggle to find crash site near former casino

A Gary police officer and off-duty Lake County Sheriff’s police officer rescued two women whose vehicle overturned after getting lost in Buffington Harbor, according to the Lake County Sheriff ’s Office.

Lake County E-911 around 3:40 a.m. Monday received a call from one of the victims saying she and another passenger had flipped over in Gary, sheriff ’s spokeswoman Pam Jones said in a release.

Police and other emergency responders, however, couldn’t find the crash site, she said, and after about two hours, Gary police requested assistance, and the two men responded.

One of the women eventually got out of the wrecked car, which was upside down, and flagged down a passerby who directed officers to the crash, the Lake County Sheriff ’s Department said.

Greg Zellers, a mechanic, said he was on his way to work about 6:30 a.m. when the woman flagged him down and walked him to where the car had crashed about 50 yards from the roadway.

He told WLS-TV the car’s headlights and taillights weren’t visible and there is little traffic on the road in Gary’s Buffington Harbor area.

The car was found near the former Majestic Star casino property, Jones said.

“It’s very difficult to see from the road,” said Zellers, who directed first responders and two officers to the crashed car.

“They asked me to stay until they got here. So I did, but then I needed to get to work,” he said.

The Gary Fire Department was called in to help the second victim, who was trapped and said she couldn’t feel her legs, Jones said.

“I would like to convey my sincere appreciation for the passerby and two officers who found the car and all first responders involved in this rescue,” Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. Said in the release. “Their diligence helped to prevent what could have been a tragedy.”