Teen struck and killed while trying to help free vehicle in snowstorm

A teenager was stuck and killed by a vehicle while trying to help tow a car out of a ditch.

According to police, 16-year-old Benjamin Lehman, from Nappanee, Indiana, was struck on State Road 5 in the area of County Road 750 South. The accident took place around 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Lehman and the driver, 16-year-old Jon Helmuth from Howe, Indiana, slid off the road and crashed into a ditch due to snowy conditions, police said. Jacob Nickerson, 32, the driver of a pickup truck, pulled over to help the teens tow the car out. Lehman left the vehicle to help Nickerson.

The teen was later hit by a third car, driven by Stan Trusty, 40. The release states Trusty did not see the tow line between the two vehicles. Lehman was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

"The weather conditions and visibility at this time were very poor, with blowing snow," Chief Deputy Juan C. Arroyo of the Lagrange County Sheriff’s Office told USA Today in an email.

What happened

This is the series of events according to the LaGrange County Sheriff's Department

1. A 2009 Saturn Aura drive Helmuth slid off the snowy road and crashed into a ditch on SR 5 just before 1 a.m. on Sunday.
2. Nickerson, the driver of a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, stopped to help the teens. He attached a tow strap to the vehicle to help the teens get it out of the ditch.
3. Lehman left the vehicle to help Nickerson and stood between the cars near the tow strap on the traveled portion of the road. "The other passengers were not sure where the deceased was standing," said Arroyo.
4. Trusty, the driver of a 2017 Ford F450, did not see the strap connecting the Silverado and Aura because of inclement weather and attempted to drive between the two.
5. The Ford struck the strap and Lehman.
6. Lehman was pronounced dead when officerrs arrived at the scene.

Police are still investigating the crash.