Jan 28, 2009 1:12 pm US/Central
NW Indiana Woman Drowns When Car Flips Into Creek
MORGAN TWP., Ind. (Post-Tribune) ―
A northwest Indiana woman died Sunday after her car drove through a ditch and overturned in a creek.
Porter County Sheriff's police arrived on the scene at about 8 a.m. on County Road 300S, near the intersection of County Road 525E in Morgan Township, to follow up on an abandoned vehicle report. The area is southeast of Valparaiso.
But when the submerged car was recovered an hour later, they found Annette Pondo, 51, of Hebron, Ind., dead inside the car in the rear seat.
It is unknown whether Pondo was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Porter County Coroner Vicki Deppe determined drowning was the cause of death.
The exact time of the crash is also unknown, but investigators believe it occurred shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday.
Pondo's husband told police he had a phone conversation with her about 1 a.m., while she was on her way from a family member's house in Wanatah, Ind.
Investigators noted that Pondo's Pontiac was traveling westbound on County Road 300S on icy roads.
"Upon observing the tire tracks off the roadway in the snow, it appeared as if (the driver) made no attempts to correct or regain her path of travel," according to the police report.
The creek's water level during the investigation was "at a depth that completely submerged most of (the car's) passenger compartment," the report continued.
There was no indication of alcohol or drugs as factors, Deppe said.
(CBS 2 and the Post-Tribune are news partners covering stories in the communities of northwest Indiana. Send story tips to tips@cbs2chicago.com. (© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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