On January 24, 2016, an area preschool teacher died after being struck by an 18-year-old motorist while jogging in rural Porter County.  The collision occurred as the 18-year-old lost control of his vehicle on a rural road in Jackson Township near Chesterton and struck the preschool teacher and her running partner, who sustained only minor injuries.  Following the collision, the preschool teacher was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was soon thereafter pronounced dead. The preschool teacher, who was 38-years-old at the time of her passing, was training for her first marathon and was an avid runner.  As part of her training she and her running partner ran year-round to build endurance for upcoming races and marathons.   Staff at the teacher’s preschool and surrounding community members remembered the teacher as a great mother and teacher to young children who were enrolled at the preschool.  To honor the preschool teacher and her running partner and to bring awareness to driving safely when encountering runners while on the road, a memorial run/walk will be held on February 6, 2016.

During an interview following the collision, a friend of the preschool teacher stated that runners often face many close calls where they’ll hit the top of a vehicle or be nearly missed by motorists who fail to observe them along the side of the road, demonstrating unforeseen dangers many runners face while on public roads. These concerns are often heightened as joggers are often forced to run upon roads due to large amounts of snow, and so it is important during the winter months to be alert for runners while traveling upon rural roads. Moreover, as collisions like the one describe above may have been prevented by further winter driving instructions for the teenager motorist involved in this collision, it is important that parents spend additional time and instruction with inexperienced drivers to ensure that they are ready to face various hazards while driving under winter conditions.  Collisions due to inexperienced drivers in inclement weather unfortunately occur often, and if you are injured due to a negligent motorist, please contact the experienced legal team at Schiller Law at 888-578-3100 or on the web at IndyInjured.com.

Source:

http://abc7chicago.com/news/preschool-teacher-killed-while-jogging-in-nw-indiana/1172953/