HANCOCK COUNTY — Investigators are trying to learn what caused a single-car crash Saturday evening in which an Indianapolis teenager was killed.
Officials think excessive speed and possible drug use are factors in the accident, which occurred near the intersection of County Roads 300N and 400E.
The victim was identified Monday as Zell Denny, 17, Indianapolis. A second person in the car, Aaron Johnson, 19, Indianapolis, was taken to IU Methodist Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Denny was a student at Warren Central High School.
The accident occurred around 7 p.m Saturday, according to the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department. It appeared both occupants of the vehicle were ejected in the crash. The vehicle, a 2002 Chevrolet Malibu that was eastbound on County Road 300N near County Road 400E, left the roadway and rolled.
The initial dispatch stated one victim was near the vehicle. The second one couldn’t immediately be located. Denny was eventually found in a nearby field. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies don’t know whether Denny was wearing a seat belt, said Robert Harris, public information officer for the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department.
Officials said Johnson was not wearing a seat belt.
An autopsy on Denny was scheduled for late Monday.
The accident closed the intersection for about four hours while officers from the Hancock County Fatal Accident Crash Team investigated the crash. Investigators do not know which of the two teenagers was operating the vehicle, Harris said. However, excessive speed and drug use are both suspected in the crash.
The investigation is still ongoing, Harris said.
