A local woman was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail and charged with OWI causing death early Tuesday morning. According to the Vanderburgh County Sherrif’s Office, at 7:44 PM on Monday night, September 4th, Evansville Vanderburgh Central Dispatch received a 911 call reporting a serious motor vehicle accident with injuries in the Northbound lanes of I-69 south of the Highway 57 exit near the 17.5-mile marker. The sheriff’s office began their investigation when Scott Township Fire Department arrived on the scene and advised two vehicles were involved and a passenger was deceased.
A white Toyota Corolla was found in the grassy median between both lanes with heavy front end damage while a gray Mercury Sable with excessive rear damage was found in the right N.B. land of I-69. A deceased female passenger was found in the front seat of the Sable. Information in the early stages of the investigation led police to the discovery that the Sable had been parked on the shoulder of the Interstate when it was rear-ended by 29-year-old Mariah Kammerer of Dale, the sole occupant of the Corolla.
Witnesses to the collision told police that they had observed the white Corolla traveling at an excessively high rate of speed and was reportedly weaving in and out of the N.B. lanes on I-69. One witness, who later came upon the crash and stopped to render first aid, told police he recognized the car as the one from earlier. He later said he overhead Kammerer admitting to being drunk from a Labor Day party. Several other witnesses told police much of the same information about the “erratic driving” they witnessed. Another witness came forward to police saying that while attempting to render aid, Kammerer was “emotional, screaming, and smelled very strongly of alcohol.”
Kammerer was taken to a local hospital where she refused to take a chemical test for intoxication. Deputies applied for a search warrant and were granted for the blood draw and chemical test which showed Kammerer’s BAC to be more than 2.5 times the legal Indiana limit of .08%, as well as, her drug screen testing positive for illegal substances. While attempting to be interviewed by detectives, refused to answer any questions and requested an attorney. Kammerer was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail and charged with OWI resulting in death, a Level 4 Felony.
The name of the deceased has not yet been released.
