Mother, daughter seriously injured in fiery crash
By Carrie Napoleon Post-Tribune correspondent January 14, 2012 4:35PM
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Updated: February 16, 2012 8:31AM
VALPARAISO — A mother and her 6-year-old daughter were seriously injured in a fiery two-car crash Saturday morning on westbound U.S. 30 east of County Road 325E in Washington Township.
The pair and two other passengers in the flaming vehicle were pulled to safety by members of the Indiana Patriot Guard who witnessed the wreck while escorting a fallen Northwest Indiana solider home.
The driver of the vehicle that caught fire, Ana Pina, 35, of South Bend, and her daughter were flown to Chicago-area hospitals for treatment of their burns and injuries after they initially were taken to Porter hospital in Valparaiso.
Pina’s mother and her 6-year-old son, the daughter’s twin, who also were passengers in the vehicle, were taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart with minor injuries, according to Sgt. Larry LaFlower, public information officer for the Porter County Sheriff’s Department.
Both children were in safety seats.
Pina was travelling westbound on U.S. 30 in the right lane in a 2000 Jeep Cherokee when she was struck from behind by a 1997 Chevrolet pickup driven by John Buibish, 76, of Grovertown. The Jeep immediately caught fire from the impact and partially crossed the median into the eastbound lane.
LaFlower said Sgt. Matt Edwards, who was leading the Patriot Guard procession escorting the body of Spc. Robert Tauteris Jr., saw the crash occur in his rear-view mirror and immediately responded to the scene along with other Patriot Guardsmen, including Cpl. Dan Becker from the Indiana State Police.
Valparaiso Fire Department Battalion Chief Les Abraham said his men were among the first to arrive on the scene after the emergency call came in.
“(The Patriot Guard) basically got everybody out of the car before we got there. That was a great thing,” Abraham said.
He said the vehicle, once extinguished by firefighters, was totally burned up
Other responders included the Indiana State Police, Valparaiso Police Department, LaPorte County Sheriff’s Department, Valparaiso Fire Department, Washington Township Fire Department and Porter Hospital EMS.
Several Patriot Guard members who sprang into action to assist at the scene suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation, LaFlower said.
Edwards was treated and released for smoke inhalation at Porter hospital. Becker was taken to St. Mary Medical Center for smoke inhalation and burns and was to be kept overnight for observation. The driver of the pickup truck, Buibish, suffered a nose bleed from the air bag deployment.
Abraham said the quick action of the Patriot Guard was a significant help for first responders.
“They’re definitely heroes today,” Abraham said.
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