Deputy severely hurt in crash Saturday

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) - A Whitley County reserve deputy was severely injured in crash early Saturday morning after he failed to negoitate a turn while responding to an emergency call and hit several trees as he drove down an embankment.

Whitley County deputies and troopers from the Ft. Wayne District were responding to an emergency call in rural Whitley County involving an intentional drug overdose at 3:03 a.m.

Reserve Deputy Adam D. Schrader, age 30, was one of the deputies responding to the call when he lost control of his 2006 Ford Crown Victoria patrol vehicle, and crashed.

Schrader is an eight year member of the Whitley County Sheriff’s Office.

Police said Schrader was eastbound on 275 North when he failed to negotiate a turn north onto 350 West. (This is a T-intersection.) Schrader continued east traveling down an embankment and struck several trees.

He was severely injured and taken from the scene to Parkview Hospital in Ft. Wayne by Parkview’s Samaritan helicopter. Schrader was wearing a seat belt, and the vehicle’s air bags deployed.

Trooper Joel Lemmon (Ft. Wayne District) had also responded to the original call. When Schrader did not arrive, Lemmon back-tracked the route the deputy would have taken and found him around 3:20 a.m.