Thursday, March 25th, 2021
Indiana man injured when semi hits house
By Sydney Albert
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
A semitrailer heavily damaged the back of a home at 11051 U.S. 127 north of Celina on Wednesday morning.
MENDON - An Indiana man was airlifted to a hospital on Wednesday after his semitrailer went off the road and struck a house along U.S. 127.
No one else was injured in the crash, according to Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey. The owners of the house at 11051 U.S. 127 near Mendon were not home at the time, although two dogs were. The animals were not harmed.
The crash, which occurred on U.S. 127 near State Route 707, is still under investigation. Grey said in a news release that his office had received a 911 call reporting the crash at 11:23 a.m. Wednesday.
An initial investigation found Walter A. Pelfrey, 55, Fremont, Indiana, was driving a 2012 Freightliner northbound on U.S. 127. His vehicle went left of center for an unknown reason and continued off the left side of the roadway where it reportedly struck a utility pole, utility shed, propane tank and the house.
Pelfrey was transported from the scene by Lutheran Air to a Fort Wayne, Indiana, hospital, according to the release. Grey told the newspaper Pelfrey had been responsive at the time of his transport.
Kellen Schott, an eyewitness at the scene, said he'd been driving southbound on U.S. 127 when Pelfrey reportedly crossed the lane about 50 yards in front of him. When Schott passed by, he saw the semi had struck a house, and he called 911.
"It was just a quick veer over right in front of me," Schott said. "It was a close one, that was for sure."
The 2012 Freightliner is owned by Damiron Trucking Services of Fremont, Indiana.
Assisting Mercer County Sheriff's deputies at the scene were members of the Rockford and Mendon fire departments, Rockford EMS, Mercer County Emergency Response Volunteers, Lutheran Air and an Ohio State Highway Patrol Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspector.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
A semitrailer heavily damaged the back of a home at 11051 U.S. 127 north of Celina on Wednesday morning. Officials said the driver was northbound on U.S. 127 when he veered off the road, striking the house.
Photo by Dan Melograna/The Daily Standard
A semitrailer heavily damaged the back of a home at 11051 U.S. 127 north of Celina on Wednesday morning. A Lutheran Air helicopter takes the injured driver from the scene.
