Four area residents injured in fatal crash

PORTLAND, Ind. - Five people were injured - including four Mercer County residents - in a three-vehicle accident Saturday night that killed a Portland, Ind., man.

Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash, which took place near Portland on county Road 250W at 10:22 p.m., according to the Jay County Sheriff's Office.

Pronounced dead at the scene was Michael L. Limbert, 36. He reportedly was not wearing a seat belt and was trapped inside his Dodge Avenger.

Officials believe David M. Oxley, 36, of Portland, Ind., was under the influence of alcohol when he drove his pickup truck head-on into a station wagon driven by Limbert. Oxley suffered a severe leg/foot injury, the report said.

Also injured were all the occupants in a second pickup truck driven by Jordan J. Hess, 21, of Fort Recovery. Passengers in the truck included Nicole M. Bertke, 19, of Maria Stein, Tyler Bruggeman, 22, of St. Henry, and Lauren Bruns, 18, of Celina. All their injuries were described as non-incapacitating.

The report said Oxley was traveling northbound and attempting to pass Hess' GM Sierra pickup truck on a hill when his Toyota Tacoma struck Limbert's southbound station wagon. Following the impact, Oxley's truck slammed into Hess' vehicle.

Oxley's truck came to rest on the roadway facing west. Hess' truck veered to the northwest, rolled once on the road then overturned two more times in a nearby field before landing on its wheels.

Officials aren't certain if Oxley was wearing a seat belt. Hess was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the truck. His passengers all were buckled and not ejected, the report noted.

Oxley was charged with causing the death of another while driving under the influence, a felony.