Driver killed in violent collision with oil tanker in Nappanee identified – 95.3 MNC

UPDATE: The person who died in a fiery oil tanker crash Friday, May 24, in Nappanee has been identified. Authorities say a tanker truck was traveling southbound on Tomahawk Trail when it left the road and the driver lost control as he resumed driving, then slid and caught fire while rolling over. The driver, Jeffrey Kendall, 50, of Plymouth, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Elkhart County Coroner's Office. The cause of his death was due to thermal injuries. The circumstances of his death were ruled “accidental”.

ORIGINAL STORY: Indiana State Police are assisting the Nappanee Police Department and the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office with a fatal crash that occurred early this afternoon in Nappanee.

It was approximately 12:55 p.m. Friday, May 24, when officers with the Nappanee Police Department and an Indiana State Trooper responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash on Tomahawk Trail near ATC Trailers.

Preliminary investigation indicates a tanker truck was traveling southbound on Tomahawk Trail when it is believed the truck left the roadway to the right and lost control.

As the truck returned to the roadway, it rolled onto its right side and continued to slide south. When the truck slid, it caught fire and spun around to come to rest facing north in the northbound lane.

The driver of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene by the Elkhart County Coroner's Office.