Accident Story
Wrong-way driver in fatal crash was confused, disoriented, police say By PATRICK M. OCONNELL
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND The driver of an SUV that headed the wrong way on the St. Joseph Valley Parkway on Sunday afternoon causing a fatal head-on collision was confused and disoriented, according to police.
Tamela Przybylski, 39, of South Bend, merged onto the bypass using the U.S. 31 exit ramp and proceeded westbound in the eastbound lanes, striking the minivan of five family members, killing the driver and injuring four others, police said.
Przybylski also was injured.
John Cauffman, 38, of South Bend, died in the crash, which occurred shortly before 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the bypass between the U.S. 31 and Indiana 23 exits.
Cauffmans wife, Rose, 35, the front-seat passenger, is listed in serious condition at Memorial Hospital in South Bend, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Ben Cauffman, 4, is listed in stable condition at Memorial, while 3-year-old Rebekah was treated and released.
Michael Cauffman, 8, suffered internal injuries and was airlifted to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, where he was listed in fair condition, according to The Associated Press.
Przybylski suffered leg injuries and is in fair condition at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in South Bend, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Blood tests will be performed on both drivers to determine whether drugs or alcohol played a factor in the crash, but police do not believe they did, St. Joseph County police spokeswoman Jaimee Thirion said.
story update:
Deadly Bypass Accident Investigation
Witness says driver also drove the wrong way on US 31
(WSBT) NEWS22 has new information about this weekend's deadly head-on crash on the Bypass. A witness says Tamela Przbyllski drove the wrong way on another road, before going the wrong way on the Bypass. Przbyllski's father says she has a slight mental disability, and got confused while driving.
She works at the
WalMart at Portage and Cleveland, on the northside of South Bend. Her dad says she decided to take the Bypass home from work on Sunday, when she got confused. He says Tamela missed her exit at Western Avenue, then passed Mayflower Road. She got off at U.S. 31 and somehow ended up driving back up the exit ramp to the Bypass.
She was driving west in the eastbound lanes when the accident happened. Police say Przbyllski crashed head-on into a minivan carrying a family of five. The man driving the van died, his wife and three children are in the hospital.
Cauffmans wife, 35-year-old Rose Cauffman and his children, 8-year-old Michael, 4-year old Ben and 3-year old Rebekah were all taken to Memorial Hospital. Michael was later flown to Riley Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis.
Police say they don't believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.
Przybylski suffered severe leg injuries. Her father says their family feels terrible for those hurt in the crash and the fact the Cauffman children lost their father in the accident.
A witness says she saw Przbyllski driving the wrong way on U.S. 31 before she even got on the Bypass. Jenny Forsythe and her fiance say they saw the SUV go north into oncoming traffic up U.S. 31.
Then, they watched her veer left and head the wrong way up the bypass exit ramp. That's where she stopped and Forsythe assumed the driver turned around. She says the entire time, people were trying to stop her from going any further.
"There were lots of people coming at her flashing headlights, doing everything they could do to get her attention to make her realize she was going the wrong way," Forsythe told NEWS22. "Even on the exit ramp itself there was a guy waving his hands out his window at her trying to get her attention."
Police say they had several 9-1-1 calls from people who say they saw someone driving the wrong way.
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This is all I know.