HARTFORD CITY, IN : Hartford City man killed in crash on Ind. 3 on Monday, 20th April, 2020

A Hartford City man died Monday when his car struck a stopped vehicle that was waiting to turn on Ind. 3.

Leslie Riggs, 59, was declared dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to Blackford County Coroner Zach Crouch.

Riggs was northbound on Ind. 3, south of Blackford County Road 400-S, when, for unknown reasons, he rear-ended a minivan that had stopped to turn at a driveway, according to a report from the Blackford County Sheriff's Office. The impact caused front-end damage to Riggs' SUV, and both vehicles went off the east side of the road.

The driver of the minivan, Joshua Smith, 32, suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. His wife and two small children were passengers in the minivan and were not injured; all four minivan occupants were properly restrained, according to the report.

Riggs was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the sheriff's report, which further noted "It is believed that if Riggs would have been wearing his seatbelt, he would have survived the crash." Initial cause of death appeared to be blunt-force trauma; Riggs' body was sent to IU Health BMH for an autopsy, Crouch said.

Intoxication was not believed to be a contributing factor, but routine toxicology tests were conducted on both drivers as standard procedure and were pending examination, according to police.

Source