One person dead, another arrested after crash on I-69 Monday evening
EVANSVILLE — One person is dead and another is in the Vanderburgh County Jail after a collision on Interstate 69 Monday night.
According to an arrest affidavit filed with the sheriff's office, Mariah Kammerer, 29, of Dale, Indiana, was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated, causing death. She's currently in the Vanderburgh County Jail on no bond.
The Vanderburgh County Coroner's office identified the victim on Tuesday afternoon as 54-year-old Christina Rogers of Winslow, Indiana. The autopsy for Rogers is scheduled for Thursday.
Vanderburgh County Sheriff deputies and the Scott Township Fire Department responded to a two-vehicle crash with injuries in the northbound lanes near Mile Marker 18 around 7:45 p.m. Monday night.
The affidavit states they found a 2018 Toyota Corolla with front-end damage in the median and a 2002 Mercury Sable still in the roadway with rear damage. Rogers, a passenger in the vehicle, was found dead.
"Preliminary information from the crash investigation showed the Sable was parked on the shoulder of the northbound lanes of Interstate 69, when the Corolla, driven by its sole occupant, Mariah Kammerer, collided with the rear of it," the affidavit states.
According to a witness on scene who stayed with Kammerer, she "admitted to being drunk from a Labor Day party," the affidavit states. Another witness stated they were passed by a "white passenger car" driving "recklessly."
The second witness said they stopped at the crash and checked on Kammerer who was "emotional, screaming and smelled strongly of alcohol," according to the affidavit.
The affidavit states a sheriff's deputy talked to Kammerer's husband who said she had been at the "Pump Out" party at Marina Pointe all day. He told her she didn't need to drive, and he would take her home. Kammerer had her dog with her, according to her husband, and when he was moving the dog out of the vehicle Kammerer drove off before he could get back to her.
The drivers of both cars had minor injuries and were taken to the hospital where both were asked to consent to chemical tests, as is state law in fatal crashes. Kammerer did not consent to the test, according to the affidavit.
Through a search warrant, deputies obtained a blood sample from Kammerer which showed her blood alcohol content as 0.227. The legal limit is .08.
The affidavit states a presumptive drug screen showed results for THC and "cocaine metabolites urine."
Kammerer was taken to the jail where she told deputies she didn't want to answer any questions and wanted a lawyer, the affidavit states.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: One person dead, another arrested after crash on I-69 Monday evening
