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Rep. Jackie Walorski's driver was at fault in the fatal crash, police say

Published September 18, 2022 at 5:23 PM EDT

FILE - Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 19, 2018. Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is dismissing as “old news” the question of whether allegations that he drunkenly groped four women during a 2018 party could hurt his chances of replacing Rep. Walorski following her death in a highway crash on Aug. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

The driver of the vehicle carrying Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski was at fault for the head-on crash that killed the Republican and three others, police said.

Zachery Potts, the driver of the Toyota RAV4, was traveling northbound on a two-lane road last month behind a flatbed truck, according to the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office. Walorski's communications director, Emma Thomson, was also in the SUV. He tried to pass the truck on the left and collided with a southbound Buick driven by Edith Schmucker.

All four people were killed.

The sheriff's office said evidence from the crash reconstruction, including information from the airbag control module (also referred to as the car's "black box") showed that the Toyota was traveling at 82 mph five seconds before the crash.

Police added no phones were apparently used prior to the crash, and there was no indication of mechanical failures.

The Elkhart County Sheriff's Office said these findings conclude their investigation into the crash.