Hayride with 25 people ends after drunk driver crashes into wagon, Indiana police say
A hayride in Indiana came to an unexpected end Saturday after a drunk driver crashed into a hay wagon, police say.
Dustin Oakes, 33, was driving south on a county road outside Wilkinson around 8 p.m. when his Honda hit the corner of a hay wagon, police said. The wagon was being pulled by a tractor coming from the opposite direction.
The front left side of Oakes’ car struck the left side of the wagon, which was carrying 25 people on a hayride, according to police.
Most of the passengers were under the age of 18, police said. Some suffered minor scratches, but none were hospitalized.
When officers arrived on the scene, they noticed several open containers of alcohol in Oakes’ car and “other signs of impairment.”
He was arrested and taken to Hancock County Jail. Oakes is charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated – endangerment and operating a vehicle while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.15, according to police.
Oakes was also found to be at fault for the crash for crossing the center line, police said. The driver of the tractor didn’t receive any citations.
Both wheels on one side of the wagon were badly damaged, but the tractor was driven from the scene.
“This crash could have been much worse,” police said. “We remind everyone driving on the roads to be aware of farm implements on the roadways completing the fall harvest, and to be aware of trick-or-treaters and other Halloween related activities.”
Wilkinson is roughly 35 miles east of Indianapolis.
