A view of the scene following a three-vehicle accident on SR 13 Thursday afternoon. Photo provided by Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office.

NORTH WEBSTER — A high-speed police pursuit led to a three-vehicle crash near North Webster Thursday afternoon that injured three people, according to police.

The incident began when a Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to pull over a motorist who he witnessed passing two vehicles in a no-passing zone on Armstrong Road near CR 450E. The driver, Walter David Hawthorne, 44, of Nappanee, refused to pull over and reached speeds of 100 mph as he fled east on what becomes CR 500N.

The accident happened shortly before 3 p.m., according to a news release from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office.

Hawthorne’s Ford Fiesta then drove through a stoplight at the intersection of 500N and SR 13 and crashed into a red 2013 Dodge Ram that was headed south. The Dodge Ram was driven by Joshua Shepherd, 36, of North Webster.   

The engine block of the Ford Fiesta was dislodged from the vehicle after impact. InkFreeNews photo by Deb Patterson.

Shepherd’s vehicle then struck a silver 2005 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Christopher Ousley, 34, of Leesburg. The Malibu was stopped and facing north on State Road 13 prior to the crash, police said

After the collision with the Ram, Ousley’s Malibu overturned, trapping him inside.

Hawthorne was airlifted from the scene by the Parkview Samaritan Air Ambulance and was conscious and alert at the time. Ousley was extricated from the Malibu by North Webster Fire Department personnel and was taken from the scene by ambulance to a hospital after complaining of neck pain.

Ousley’s front seat passenger, Loretta Ousley, 62, of Leesburg, was taken to a Fort Wayne hospital with a facial injury.

Shepherd did not complain of injuries at the scene.

Also assisting at the scene were North Webster Police, Pierceton Police and the Turkey Creek Fire Territory, the report said.