A Ball State student died late Sunday night in Grant County after his car was pushed off the road by high waters into a flooded field, according to multiple reports.
Blake A. Taylor, 19, Kokomo, was reportedly driving back to Muncie when he lost control of his car along State Road 26, near Fairmount, Ind.
The Grant County Sheriff’s Office received a report that a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am was upside down and submerged in water along the rural highway. Two deputies and other emergency responders arrived on the scene.
The two deputies, as well as a Fairmount Police officer, waded into the water, approximately four to five feet deep, and attempted to get the victim out of the car by breaking a window. When this failed, the deputies used tow straps tied to their vehicles to pull the car from the water and were able to free the victim.
CPR was performed on the scene and Taylor was transported to Marion General Hospital. Taylor was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The sheriff’s office believes that Taylor, a freshman pre-business major at Ball State, was driving east on I-26 when he drove through standing flood waters. The car then slid across the westbound lane when it rolled over into a ditch.
The passenger compartment began filling with water. Deputies believe Taylor was submerged for 10 to 12 minutes. The crash remains under investigation.
Kay Bales, the Vice President of Student Affairs at Ball State, issued a statement regarding Taylor’s death.
“On behalf of Ball State University, I extend our deepest sympathies to Blake’s family and friends,” said Bales. “The loss of such a young man is especially saddening. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Taylor was a 2012 graduate of Northwestern High School in Kokomo. Taylor’s baseball coach, Mike Brazel, said that Taylor “was a coach’s delight.”
“He never put himself first,” he said. “You couldn’t have found a better kid. He was the kind of player you loved.”
Brazel said that the school was a somber place Monday morning as the news spread. The coach called a team meeting before school after learning of Taylor’s death from his assistant coach.
“He made an impact here,” Brazel said.
