Evansville, IN : Berniece Tirmenstein died in car crash in Vanderburgh County on Sunday, June 5, 2016
Berniece Tirmenstein died after being involved in a car crash on Sunday.
The 89-year-old woman was a back-seat passenger in 2005 Lexus ES3 that was hit by a turning pickup at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Plaza Drive. The crash happened just before 1 p.m.
The car Tirmenstein was in was being driven by Jim Braker, 74.
Tirmenstein and Braker have both actively been involved in the local tea party group. Tirmenstein was also often a front-row fixture in the audience of Evansville City Council and other local political meetings.
The Evansville Police Department crash report initially classified Tirmenstein's most serious injury as a complaint of neck pain, but a further examination at the hospital revealed that she had broken both hips and had suffered spinal and neck injuries in the crash, according to Steve Lockyear, the chief deputy coroner in Vanderburgh County. Tirmenstein was pronounced dead at 3:21 p.m., at Deaconess Hospital.
"She had (two) fractured hips, and she suffered some pretty significant internal injuries," Lockyear said.
Braker's wife, Charlene, was in the front passenger seat of the car. She was also taken to the hospital after complaining about chest pain.
The driver of the Chevrolet 1500 truck was identified as 25-year-old Joshua Grant, of Corydon, Kentucky. According to the crash report, investigators said Grant failed to yield at the intersection.
Brenda Bergwitz, a friend of both Tirmenstein the Brakers, called Tirmenstein a "great American patriot" and a historian. Bergwitz said Tirmenstein, who was a retired nurse, served in the nurse cadet corps from 1945-48.
"Evansville (lost) a special lady, but heaven gained an angel," Bergwitz said on Monday. "Words can't describe the loss that this city is going to have, not just me but everybody. ... She was so loved and respected by everybody, no matter what party they were."
Source :
Local political activist, 89, dies in Sunday car crash