Fundraiser launched for orphaned Brookville teen
Aug. 13—BROOKVILLE, Ind. — A fundraiser has been established to help a teenager who recently lost his mother in a fiery crash in Brookville.
Virginia (Jenni) Fasbinder, 46, died as the result of injuries sustained in a head-on collision on U.S. 52 east of Yellow Bank Road July 7.
Jenni was a single mother raising Sam Fasbinder, 19.
Due to the seriousness of the crash, a death certificate has not yet been made available, which means insurance and any accounts she had are not accessible. Sam is now forced to pay the bills and house mortgage all while hoping to attend IU East this year.
Due to his urgent need, a benefit account has been established at any First Financial Bank through the end of August. The benefit is called "Benefit for Sam" and all funds will be directly given to Sam Fasbinder. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated.
The fundraiser was established by The 812, a digital media company that promotes Southeast Indiana while helping area families in need.
"We really hope our amazing communities in Southeast Indiana can rally to help this teen who is going through an extremely difficult time," said 812 owner Steven Harmeyer. "Our reporter Bella Monroe saw the seriousness of what Sam is going through and decided to launch this fundraiser to hopefully ease some of his pain."
Thursday, the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office charged the other driver involved in the fatal accident.
Joshua T. Trammell, 43, of Brookville has been charged with the following: Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of a Controlled Substance Causing Death, a Level 4 Felony; Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Causing Death, a Level 4 Felony; Reckless Homicide, a Level 5 Felony; Illegal Possession of a Syringe, a Level 6 Felony; and Habitual Offender, sentence enhancement.
According to the Probable Cause Affidavit that was signed by Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Lovins, he responded to the scene of a serious crash on U.S. 52. east of Yellow Bank Road. Upon arriving at the scene, Deputy Lovins described the two vehicles involved: a 2014 Kia Soul off the side of the roadway and a Chevrolet Silverado that had overturned.
The driver of the Kia, Jenni Fasbinder, was pronounced dead on the scene. Trammell was identified as the driver of the Silverado, and had sustained what appeared to be serious injuries as a result of the crash. He was transported via ambulance to Margaret Mary Hospital in Batesville.
Based on his observations of the crashed vehicles, Deputy Lovins determined that the Silverado crossed left-of-center into the opposite lane of travel, causing a head-on collision with the Kia. Among the debris of the Silverado, Deputy Lovins located two hypodermic needles, which he recognized as commonly associated with intravenous drug use.
Franklin County Sheriff's Deputies further accompanied Trammell to the emergency room, where they obtained a blood sample from him to be analyzed for the presence of illegal substances. The sample was forwarded to the Indiana State Department of Toxicology in accordance with department procedures.
On August 11, Deputy Lovins was notified that the results of the analysis were complete, and it was determined the presence of both amphetamine and methamphetamine in Trammell's sample.
That same day, Deputy Lovins' affidavit was presented to Franklin Circuit Judge J. Steven Cox, who found probable cause had been established.
Prosecutor Huerkamp filed the charges immediately following that determination. Judge Cox issued an arrest warrant, and Trammell was located and taken into custody by the Franklin County Sheriff's Department on the morning of August 12. No court dates have yet been scheduled at this time.
