ELKHART COUNTY, INDIANA — U.S. Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R - Indiana) died on Wednesday afternoon after a vehicle crash in a northern county in Indiana near South Bend, police confirmed.
Walorski was an occupant of an SUV traveling southbound on Indiana's State Road 19 nearing State Road 119, when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction crossed over the center line and struck the SUV head-on. According to the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office, their deputies responded to the scene at about 12:30 p.m. local time.
All three occupants, including Walorski, died in the crash.
The other occupants were Zachery Potts, 27, of Mishawaka, and Emma Thomson, 28, of Washington D.C.
The driver of the northbound vehicle, Edith Schmucker, 56, of Nappanee, was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to her congressional biography, Walorski was born in South Bend and served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 2004-2010 before being elected to the U.S. Congress in 2013.
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy released the following tweet about Walorski's death.
It is with a heavy heart that I am sharing this statement from the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski. pic.twitter.com/UEPoKBDf5N
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) August 3, 2022
Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch also released a statement.
"I was shocked and heartbroken when I received the news today about the tragic death of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski. Jackie and I served together in the Indiana House of Representatives, and she was a fighter for her constituents and conservative Hoosier values. My heart goes out to her husband, Dean, and the rest of her family and friends. She will be deeply missed."
The crash was still under investigation as of Wednesday afternoon.
This story was originally published by WRTV in Indianapolis, Indiana.
