Teen charged in fatal crash

JACKSON COUNTY, Ind. (WISH) - A Seymour teen has been charged with reckless homicide after a crash that left another teen dead .

Tyler Ross, 18, was arrested Wednesday and taken to Jackson County Jail. Police said he acknowledged he was behind the wheel when the Mitsubishi two-door car he and two other teens were in flipped into the East Fork White River northeast of the Shieldstown Covered Bridge.

Ross and a 19-year-old man escaped through broken windows after the crash. The other teen, 16-year-old Brooke Hawn, Seymour, was found dead inside the car after it was towed from the water. She was just days from her 17th birthday.

Investigators said Thursday that Ross never received a driver's license, and speed played a role in the crash.

Hawn's sister, Samantha Fowler, urged other teens to see Hawn's story as a cautionary tale.

"Please see this and think twice," she said. 

The principal of Seymour High School, Greg Prange, echoed Fowler’s plea.

“We hope that we learn some life long lessons that will stick with us and (help) us make good decisions,” Prange said. “This is the second time we have lost a student in a manner as such as this.”

Prange said DaNika Collins,17,  was killed in September during a crash involving excessive speed.

A sign near the entrance of the student parking lot says: make teenage driving a reality not a fatality.

“(This) makes this go back and think about what is important in life and what is not important,” Prange said. 

Ross is expected to appear before a judge next week.