(La Porte County, IN) - A Sawyer, MI woman is accused of being drunk in a serious injury collision she allegedly caused on New Year’s Day on Interstate 94 outside of Michigan City. 

 

Lauren Ellis, 38, is charged in La Porte Circuit Court with operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a Level 5 felony. According to ofricials, she was driving a Toyota SUV just after 8 p.m. and rear-ended a trailer pulled by a van. Both vehicles were eastbound outside Michigan City on the interstate.

 

The driver of the van, Keith Pearson, told an Indiana State Police trooper the impact caused him to lose control of his van, and his trailer also jackknifed. His vehicle came to rest facing in the opposite direction.

 

Pearson, who’s also from Michigan, was transported to nearby Franciscan Health hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken arm, He was also bleeding from his right ear, police said.  Ellis told police the accident happened after she looked down at the screen of the cell phone she had in her hand.

 

Ellis was not injured and transported to the La Porte County Jail after a blood alcohol test revealed she was legally impaired. The charge was upgraded from a misdemeanor to a felony because of the serious injury that resulted from the crash. Ellis could face anywhere from a one to six year sentence.

 

Police say she was also cited for following too closely and holding or using a telecommunications device while operating a motor vehicle.