Impaired driving to blame for badly injured 13-year-old Huntingburg girl

Jasper— Police arrested 18-year-old Hector Vazquez Jr. of Huntingburg, after he caused a single vehicle traffic accident that injured five people Saturday, including badly injuring a 13-year-old girl.

According to Indiana State Police,Vazquez was southbound on Meridian Road at about 7:42 p.m. in a 1996 Honda Civic when he lost control coming around a curve near County Road 100 South. The vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. Due to the vehicle’s speed it continued off the road and hit another tree before ending up back on the roadway.

All five occupants of the vehicle were injured, however, Myra Arellano, 13, of Huntingburg, who was seated in the middle of the back seat, received life-threatening injuries and had to be taken by LifeFlight helicopter to St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville for treatment.

Arellano was treated for a concussion and is stable at this time. She is expected to be released later this week.

Vazques and the other passengers in the car, Ernesto Chavez, 22, Karolina Lopez, 12, and Trenton Torres, 23, all of Huntingburg, were taken to Memorial Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.

After a preliminary drug screen revealed THC (active ingredient in marijuana) in Vazquez system, police charged him with Class A misdemeanor operating while intoxicated, C-infraction speed too fast to avoid a collision and C-infraction left of center. Police booked him into the Dubois County Security Center.

According to authorities, Arellano, Chavez and Lopez were not wearing seat belts.

The Honda was totalled in the accident.

The Dubois County Sheriff’s Department, Jasper Police Department, Jasper Fire Departments, Memorial Hospital EMS and Uebelhor and Sons wrecker service assisted in the investigation.