A 42-year-old Walkerton woman died Sunday evening after her car left the roadway and hit a tree along State Road 104. Emergency personnel pronounced Irene J. Pantle dead at the scene shortly after arriving.
Deputies responded to the crash around 6:58 p.m. in the 7000 east block of the highway. Callers had alerted dispatch to a single vehicle heavily damaged off the side of the road.
Pantle was driving eastbound in a blue 2017 Chevrolet passenger car when the accident occurred. For reasons that remain under investigation, the car drifted off the pavement and collided with a tree.
The force of the collision caused extensive damage to the front of the Chevrolet. Responding medics checked Pantle immediately, but her injuries proved fatal before transport was possible.
Officers shut down the immediate area to secure the scene and search for physical clues. Investigators found no immediate signs of another vehicle being involved in the wreck.
Standard toxicology tests are currently pending with the state lab to help determine what caused the vehicle to leave the lane. Results usually take several weeks to return to local authorities.
Sheriff’s deputies continue to investigate the crash to piece together Pantle’s route and final moments. The community of Walkerton now grieves the sudden loss of a neighbor on a local stretch of highway.
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