Terre Haute, IN — April 15, 2025, a teenager was killed and one was injured following an ambulance accident at 7:15 p.m. along East Wheeler Avenue.

According to initial details about the accident, it took place in the area of the East Wheeler Avenue and South 13th Street intersection.

Investigators said that a 13-year-old girl and another teenager were both riding bicycles through the area. While doing so, a Trans-care ambulance was driving to an emergency call. Somehow, the ambulance collided with the pair of teenagers.

Due to the collision, the 13-year-old girl was killed. The other teenager was reportedly critically injured. Currently, additional details about the accident are unavailable.

Commentary

There isn't a lot of information confirmed right now, but I'm certainly not here to speculate. Instead, I think it's important that people understand how challenging it can be for a family just to understand what they should do next. Unfortunately, addressing those concerns isn't often a priority of the authorities after an accident. And their investigations tend to have a narrow focus, and that doesn't always end with people being satisfied they're getting the whole story. That's one of the reasons so many people end up looking for avenues independent of the authorities rather than just waiting around for the police reports.

The reality is police have their own priorities when it comes to investigating fatal accidents. That doesn't necessarily align with getting all of the evidence or directly addressing a family's concerns. Instead, that usually requires things like pulling electronic data, looking at cell phone records, combing the area for security camera footage, mapping out debris and road markings, examining vehicle maintenance, and other important details that more dedicated independent accident reconstructionists typically look into. When authorities only end up looking at surface-level details or focus too much on finding potential criminal charges to pursue, families can find themselves weeks or months down the line still asking the same old questions.

That's why it can be helpful for people to consider what kind of effort authorities are making and how well they're communicating with the victims and families involved. If it seems like there are still doubts or the right questions aren't being asked, then that may be a sign the crash would be better off in the hands of independent professionals. At the very least, it can give a family the peace of mind that they're going to see a just resolution, whatever that may end up being.