Contrary to initial accounts that it was the other driver’s responsibility, officials claimed that the car Indiana Congresswoman Jackie Walorski was riding in when she and three other people died was the one that caused a disaster when it pulled into oncoming traffic.
According to CBS Chicago, the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office first claimed that on Wednesday afternoon, Walorski and two assistants were traveling north in a Toyota RAV4 when a maroon Buick LeSabre traveling south on State Road 19 crossed the center line and struck the vehicle.
However, the sheriff’s office announced Thursday morning that it had found that its initial conclusions were false in light of fresh facts. It was the RAV 4 that crossed into oncoming traffic “for reasons that are unknown at this time,” according to further eyewitness and camera data.
Walorski, 58; Zachery Potts, her district director, 27; and Emma Thomson, her communications director, 28, all perished as a result of their wounds while inside the RAV 4. Edith Schmucker, 56, the driver and only occupant of the LeSabre, also perished in the collision.
The airbags in the cars did deploy, according to officials, and all four occupants were buckled up.
The accident is still being looked into.
After completing three terms in the state legislature, Walorski was chosen to represent Indiana’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes South Bend, in 2012. She served on the Ways and Means Committee and was the leading Republican on the House Ethics Committee.
In a statement following Walorski’s passing, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said, “She has returned home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” “Please remember her family in your prayers.”
The congressional delegation from Indiana and political officials from both parties swiftly began to pay tribute to Walorski.
The lawmaker was described as “the ‘happy Hoosier’ who would light up a room with her energy, passion, brilliance, and love of life,” according to Rep. Kevin Brady, the top Republican on the Ways and Means subcommittee.
He tweeted that Walorski was capable of anything.
Democratic lawmaker from New York, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, expressed her “absolutely heartbroken” sentiments on Twitter and said, “My heart goes out to the families of each of the victims,” while Jim Banks of Indiana praised Walorski as a “true public servant” who was “selfless, humble, and compassionate.”
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“From my first day in Congress, Jackie showed me kindness and grace,” he said in a statement. “She had a heart of gold, and I will miss her dearly.”
Former vice president and former governor of Indiana from 2013 to 2017 Mike Pence said he and his wife are praying for Walorski’s family as well as the families of Potts and Thomson.
He wrote in a pair of tweets, “She served Indiana in the statehouse and the Congress with integrity and principle for nearly two decades and will be profoundly missed.”
Sen. Todd Young of Indiana tweeted that he is “Walorski was described as being “really distraught” by her passing and as having “devoted her life to fighting for Hoosiers. She has a spirit, a bright outlook, and most importantly, a friendship that I will never forget.”