Indiana Personal Injury Lawyer Toll Free 1-888-558-0595 Local 317-472-3333

Please complete the form below and we will be in touch with you within 24 hours.




Indiana Injury News.

7th Grade Student Dies in Semi and Car Collision in Indianapolis


Posted on Mar 11, 2011

March 8, 2011 - Indianapolis, Ind. - A 13-year-old girl from Harshman Middle School was killed on March 4 around 4 p.m. when a semitrailer truck crashed into the Oldsmobile she was riding in, IndyStar.com has reported.

Two others suffered injuries in the accident, which occurred in the city's Westside area at Interstate 70 and Harding Street, according to police. The 13-year-old, Justice Holifield, was pronounced dead on the scene. The driver of the car was a band teacher from her school.

According to a news release from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Holifield was in a 2001 Oldsmobile that was northbound on Harding. The driver, Kyle Bieda, 26, of Indianapolis, turned west to access the I-70 East ramp when the truck plowed into the car.

A girl, 12, and a boy, 13, suffered injuries and were hospitalized. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The driver of the truck, 58-year-old Wallace Wheeler, was identified as a resident of Avon.

Holifield, who was in the seventh grade, and the other two students were accompanying Bieda to the store to buy some items for an event at the school, investigators were told.

At the time of this posting, it was not clear whether the school district allowed teachers to drive students in their personal cars.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were a total of 1,122 vehicles involved in fatal accidents in Indiana in 2008. Of those vehicles, 128 were large trucks, such as semi-trucks and tractor trailers. That represents 11.4% of the total fatal crash vehicles in Indiana and 3.1% of fatal truck crashes in the United States.

Occasionally, our firm will publish news stories about serious or fatal accidents in our coverage area in order to raise awareness about the types of crashes that can occur in Indianapolis and elsewhere in our region.

Some of the most common types of motor vehicle accidents include: 

  • collisions involving tractor trailers;
  • weather-related crashes;
  • single-vehicle accidents; and
  • distracted driver accidents and drivers who operate while under the influence. 

If you or a loved one has been named in this blog and you would like for us to remove it, please contact us and we will accommodate your request.

back to top


Get Help Now

Please complete the form below and we will be in touch with you shortly. FREE & NO-OBLIGATION

Name *

Phone *

Email *

Tell us more *


Main Office - Indianapolis
350 E New York Street Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (317) 472-3333
Fax: (317) 472-3340
Toll Free: (888) 505-8232
Get Directions

Merrillville Office
7863 Broadway Suite 234
Merrillville, IN 46410 Get Directions

Contact Firm

Main Office - Indianapolis
350 E New York Street Suite 300
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (317) 472-3333
Fax: (317) 472-3340
Toll Free: (888) 505-8232

Merrillville Office
7863 Broadway Suite 234
Merrillville, IN 46410



Connect With Us

Video Library

FAQs

Web Resources

More