Police: Michigan City man died in apparent DUI crash he caused

A Michigan City man who died Saturday night in a head-on collision that he caused just north of Wanatah was highly intoxicated, police said.

Michael Kieszkowski, 45, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on U.S. 421 near County Road 1000 South, LaPorte County police said.

The other driver, Keith Belcher, 20, of North Judson, complained of just minor injuries and refused medical attention, police said.

Police said officers were called to the scene at 11:45 p.m. Saturday and found Kieszkowski pinned inside his heavily damaged 1997 Pontiac Trans Am. An airbag had deployed, but he wasn't moving, police said.

Police said Belcher told investigators that he was southbound on the two-lane highway when Kieszkowski began flashing his high-beam headlights as he approached in the opposing lane.

Belcher said he did not have his high-beam headlights on and started flashing his to signal to the oncoming driver that he was not using them.

Kieszkowski then veered into Belcher's lane, and Belcher was unable to prevent the head-on collision, police said.

Police said after the crash Belcher was getting out of his 2001 Dodge Ram when the pickup truck caught fire.

The truck was engulfed in flames as emergency responders began arriving.

"He's very, very lucky," LaPorte County Coroner John Sullivan said. "Thank goodness he wasn't pinned inside his vehicle."

Sullivan said Kieszkowski had a blood alcohol level of 0.32, or four times the state's legal limit.

About a dozen beer cans were recovered from his car, said Sullivan.

Sullivan said Kieszkowski apparently was on his way home after visiting family in North Judson.

Court records show Kieszkowski was charged with operating while intoxicated and disorderly conduct in September in a case that was still pending in LaPorte Superior Court 3.