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Posted: Sunday, 15 November 2009 9:55AM
Merrillville High School senior dies in one-car crash
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HOBART, Ind. (STNG) -- An 18-year-old Merrillville High School senior who worked to save money for college and planned on becoming a pharmacist died Friday night in a single-vehicle crash in Hobart, Ind.
Samuel Troutman of Crown Point was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at 11:30 p.m. Friday on County Line Road near 61st Avenue.
Friends and neighbors gathered with Troutman's family Saturday.
"There's an abundance of people he's touched," said Troutman's brother, Adam Ohlenkamp, 28.
Ohlenkamp said his brother had a "great smile that would just light up a room anywhere."
"God is getting one of his best children back home," he said.
Troutman was a passenger in a 2000 Jeep Cherokee traveling south on County Line Road.
According to the initial investigation, the vehicle, driven by a 16-year-old girl whom police declined to identify, drifted toward the right side of the road.
Then "she overcompensated and drove over to the left side," said Lake County Police Chief Marco Kuyachich.
The vehicle flipped when it fell into a deep ditch.
It then struck a tree and ejected Troutman, who was not wearing a seat belt, Kuyachich said.
Troutman died of trauma to the body, the Lake County Coroner's office ruled.
The driver was released from St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart after being treated for injuries.
Alcohol was not a factor in the crash. The investigation is ongoing, Kuyachich said.
Troutman, who enjoyed working with computers, planned to work in pharmacy.
He applied to Purdue University and worked at Strack and Van Til in Merrillville, saving up for college.
"Sam was the best kid anyone could ask for," Ohlenkamp said. "He had a good heart and he loved his life."
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Sun-Times Media Wire Chicago Sun-Times 2009. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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