Indianapolis, IN (August 2, 2026) – Just after 8:23 a.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers responded to the intersection of South German Church Road and Tanninger Drive on the city’s far east side after a serious crash was reported. Officers arrived to find a 2013 Toyota Camry and a 2013 Kia Optima involved in the collision.
According to IMPD, the driver of the Kia, later identified by the Marion County Coroner’s Office as 87-year-old Rick King, was heading out of his own neighborhood on German Church Road when the crash occurred. King suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. He died three days before what would have been his 88th birthday.
Police say the driver of the Toyota, 19-year-old Logan Wells, was traveling southbound on German Church Road when King pulled into the intersection to turn left, and Wells’ vehicle struck King’s Kia on the driver’s side. King was trapped in the wreckage and suffered broken ribs and severe chest trauma, according to police.
Wells submitted to a portable breath test that returned a .11 blood alcohol content, above Indiana’s .08 legal limit.
According to court documents, Wells later admitted he had been drinking with his girlfriend roughly seven hours before the crash. Police also allege Wells was driving 72 mph in a posted 40 mph zone at the time of impact.
IMPD has charged Wells with reckless homicide, operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death, and underage drinking. Following his initial hearing, Wells was granted eligibility for a $10,000 cash bond with GPS and alcohol monitoring pending trial.
IMPD Sgt. Amanda Hibschman said “every crash caused by impaired or distracted driving is preventable” and added that getting behind the wheel comes with a responsibility to obey traffic laws and drive safely.
King’s widow told reporters the crash happened so close to their home that she heard it from inside the house. She declined to speak on camera.
Filing a Wrongful Death Claim After a Drunk Driving Crash in Indiana
A pending criminal case does not delay a civil wrongful death claim. The two proceed on separate tracks, with different burdens of proof and different goals. A criminal conviction can strengthen a civil case, but Indiana law does not require one before a family can file. Prosecutors are focused on punishing Wells. A civil claim is focused on what King’s family actually lost, and those are two different questions with two different answers.
- A wrongful death claim can recover funeral and burial costs, medical expenses tied to the crash, the income and support King would have provided, and compensation for the loss of his care and companionship
- Toxicology results, the responding officer’s report, and both vehicles’ crash-data recorders are the kind of evidence that should be preserved early, before records are purged or vehicles are released from impound
- Under Indiana’s modified comparative fault rule (IC 34-51-2-6), a family can still recover damages even if King is found partly at fault, as long as his share of fault was less than 51 percent, with the award reduced by that percentage
- An insurance company may reach out to the family directly in the days after a crash like this one. Speaking with an attorney before giving a recorded statement protects the value of a claim
- If Wells was served alcohol by someone who knew he was underage or visibly intoxicated, that person or establishment could face separate civil liability under Indiana’s Dram Shop Act (IC 7.1-5-10-15.5), depending on what the investigation into that night ultimately shows
Wrongful death claims in Indiana must generally be filed within two years of the date of death (IC 34-23-1-1). For this crash, that deadline falls on August 2, 2028. Missing that window generally ends a family’s right to recover, regardless of how clear the fault appears today.
Contact Our Indiana Wrongful Death Attorneys
Losing a parent this way, to a driver who admitted drinking hours before getting behind the wheel, is the kind of loss no family should have to carry alone. A criminal court will decide whether Wells goes to prison. It won’t decide what King’s family is owed for their loss.
Langer & Langer has represented Indiana families through fatal crash and wrongful death claims for more than 45 years, and our Indiana wrongful death attorneys know how to build a civil case around a pending criminal charge like the one Wells now faces. We also handle the practical side families often aren’t prepared for, from coordinating with the coroner’s office to dealing with an insurance adjuster who calls before the family has had time to grieve.
Toxicology results and the vehicles’ event data recorders are worth preserving now, while the criminal case is active and that evidence still exists. Once a vehicle is released from impound or repaired, that data can be gone for good.
We take wrongful death cases on contingency, so there is nothing owed upfront to talk with us and nothing owed at all unless we recover for your family.
Why Indiana families trust Langer & Langer:
- Serving Indiana families for more than 45 years, since 1980
- 100+ years of combined legal experience among our attorneys
- Recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, and the American College of Trial Lawyers
- No fee unless we win your case
Call (219) 245-5881 to Speak With an Indiana Wrongful Death Attorney
