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Distracted driving believed cause of crash that killed two

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MUNCIE, Ind. – After two men were killed in a horrific head-on collision on Ind. 67 east of Daleville on Aug. 9, investigators had…
MUNCIE, Ind. – After two men were killed in a horrific head-on collision on Ind. 67 east of Daleville on Aug. 9, investigators had a strong suspicion the tragedy might have been caused by alcohol consumption.
That’s because the motorist whose vehicle crossed the center line and caused the collision, 55-year-old Scott Richard Chambers of Pendleton, had five full bottles of Fireball cinnamon whisky in his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck at the time of the crash.
Both Chambers and the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup truck he struck, Braxton Lee Patton, 21, of Muncie, were pronounced dead at the crash scene.
Police photographs showing that whisky in Chambers’ truck have made the rounds on social media in recent days.
However, Delaware County Coroner Scott Hahn said this week that laboratory tests conducted on Chambers’ remains reflected he had not ingested illegal drugs or consumed alcohol prior to the crash.
That being the case, authorities now suspect the accident was caused by distracted driving on Chamber’s part, perhaps related to his use of a cellphone.
According to Joe Krupa, a deputy and public information officer for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, investigator Kip Curtis confirmed “that’s what they believe is the cause.”
Chambers’ vehicle was westbound and struck Patton’s eastbound Dodge “at near highway speeds,” according to a Delaware County sheriff’s release.
Investigators with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Crash Reconstruction Team were “looking at distracted driving/cell phone usage and alcohol as possible contributing factors to the crash,” that release – issued a day after the fatalities – reported.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

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