MERRILLVILLE | All four victims of a fatal, three-vehicle crash late Tuesday in Merrillville have been identified.
Mario A. Cadena, 30, of Crown Point, was pronounced dead at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday at St. Mary Medical Center, Lake County Coroner David Pastrick said. Officials initially had delayed identified of Cadena, pending notification to his mother in Mexico.
Cadena and the other three victims died of blunt force trauma with massive internal injuries, and all of their deaths were accidental, Pastrick said.
Attorney Garry Weiss, 53, of Crown Point; Stephen Hough, 26, of Merrillville; and Amy Bartelmey, 25, of Hobart, also died in the crash.
Merrillville police said a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, a 1996 Chevrolet Blazer and a 2003 Ford Mustang collided at the 101st Avenue and Randolph Street intersection at 9:54 p.m. Tuesday near the Merrillville-Winfield border.
According to Merrillville police, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, driven by Cadena, was heading west on 101st Avenue and failed to stop at the intersection.
The Jeep collided with the passenger side of the Chevrolet Blazer driven by Hough, which was traveling north on Randolph Street. Bartelmey was a passenger in the Blazer, police said.
Weiss' Ford Mustang was traveling south on Randolph Street and collided into the front of the Blazer during the crash, police said.
Bartelmey and Weiss were pronounced dead on the scene. Hough and Cadena were pronounced dead at St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart.
Weiss had just completed the high-profile jury trial of Carlton Davis Jr., who was convicted Monday of 22 of 26 counts related to operating a dogfighting contest out of his Calumet Township home.
"It's hard to put into words," attorney Jennifer Campbell said of the loss of Weiss, who worked in the same office. "He was the best person I know. He was a testament to what an attorney should be and what a good person should be."
Merrillville police continue to investigate Tuesday night's crash. Toxicology reports through the Lake County coroner's office should take about a week, but speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.
