Police: Speed was main factor in car crash

An accident that killed senior Ashley Crouse is the fault of the driver of a gray Honda station wagon that hit her vehicle, according to the IU and Bloomington Police Departments. According to the accident reconstruction report, "the speed of the Honda was the prevailing cause of the accident," and witnesses said the Jeep carrying Crouse did stop at the intersection of Third Street and Hawthorne Drive before proceeding south across Third Street.\nIUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said the specifics of the report, including the estimated speed of the Honda, could not be released because it is still an ongoing investigation.\n"It was well over the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour, so much over it would be considered excessive," Minger said.\nMeliton Espinosa Praxedis, 22, the suspected driver of the Honda, allegedly fled the scene of the accident and was subsequently arrested in Delaware April 15 by U.S. Marshals. Leaving the scene of an accident is a class C felony. According to IUPD, Praxedis boarded a bus to Delaware the day after the accident and is an illegal immigrant. \nPraxedis is in the process of extradition to Monroe County from New Castle County, Del. He is expected to arrive at the Monroe County Jail today and will appear in Monroe County Court Friday for an initial hearing. \nLate in the evening of April 11, Crouse, her boyfriend junior Christopher Carlson and senior Julie Greenbaum were traveling south on Hawthorne when the car they were driving was struck by the gray Honda station wagon as they crossed Third Street. \nAs the interlocked cars skidded across the pavement, they wrapped around a stoplight pole, spinning the mass of metal into the front yard of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house, of which Crouse was a member. At the time of the accident, the stoplight directing westbound traffic on Third Street was flashing yellow. Hawthorne traffic had a flashing red light. \nCrouse was in the backseat when the force of the impact threw her about five feet from the car. She was pronounced dead at 12:09 a.m. April 12 at Bloomington Hospital. According to Police, she was not wearing her seat belt.\nCarlson and Greenbaum were treated and released from Bloomington Hospital early April 12. \nCrouse was a member of several organizations on campus including Kappa Kappa Gamma, IU Dance Marathon, IU Student Association and the Liberal Arts and Management Program.\n-- Contact Senior Writer Mike Malik at mjmalik@indiana.edu.