A young Marine was killed in Indiana when a wheel flew off another vehicle and crashed into her pickup truck, state police said.
Lance Corporal Olivia Kustes, 18, from Rineyville, Kentucky, died Wednesday after a wheel from a pickup truck fell off the vehicle and barreled into her truck after crossing a median on I-65 in southern Indiana.
Police say a commercial vehicle driver, Alvin Logan, maneuvered his semi-trailer in front of Kustes’ truck to slowly bring it to a stop.
Lance Corporal Olivia Kustes, 18, (pictured) died Wednesday after a wheel from a pickup truck fell off the vehicle and barreled into her truck after crossing a median on I-65 in southern Indiana
Investigators attend the scene of the crash to carry out examinations and remove the pickup
Kustes was pronounced dead at the scene from her injuries. The driver of the other truck, a GMC pickup, was not arrested nor given any citations, the Indianapolis Star reported.
It is understood that Kustes was on leave because of the death of her grandmother at home in Rineyville on December 16.
Even though she was on bereavement leave, Kustes continued her duties as a Marine. She was scheduled to return to active duty on January 23.
A post on Louisville Marines Facebook page said that she loved animals and she was home as part of the Marine Corps Recruitment Assistance Programme.
He told Wave3 News: ‘She was a lot more than an 18-year-old driver. You see somebody who is serving their country and as police officers we dedicate our lives to helping others as well, you see somebody who has stepped up and it just touches you’.
‘She was a lot more than an 18-year-old driver’. While she was in high school, she visited the Marine Corps recruiting office in Elizabethtown.
Staff Sergeant Jason Almodovar was the substation’s staff non-commissioned officer at the time.
Friends claimed Olivia Kustes (pictured) was a determined young lady ‘who would conquer any obstacle in front of her’
It is understood that Kustes was on leave because of the death of her grandmother at home on December 16
He told Wave3 News: ‘Her physical fitness was very low. She ran a mile and a half in 18 minutes. She had to almost cut that in half to meet the standards to become a United States Marine. Not everybody can do that.
However she managed to last the pace and completed bootcamp in Parris Island in December 2017.
‘I was super proud of her. No matter what obstacle was in front of her she was going to conquer it. She was going to find a way and she was going to conquer it’.
A wheel from another car flew off another vehicle and crashed into her pickup truck
Kustes went on to train in North Carolina, Florida, and Arkansas until she was stationed in North Carolina.
She was scheduled to go back to her base on January 23, a week after the accident that ended her life.
‘Moving forward, I don’t know. It’s the first time I’m going through something like this. It’s a learning experience for everybody’.
Gunnery Sergeant Paul Borrero said Kustes was like a little sister. He believes she was drawn to the Marines because she was searching for a family like bond.
Gunnery Sergeant Paul Borrero said Kustes was like a little sister. He believes she was drawn to the Marines because she was searching for a family like bond
She was scheduled to go back to her base on January 23, a week after the accident that ended her life. Seen above in a Facebook photo
It is understood that Kustes was on leave because of the death of her grandmother at home in Rineyville on December 16
‘I think that’s what she was really striving for. She wanted to be a part of something where she could be selfless, which she was.
‘We had many conversations about that. When you grow up, you’re looking for family but when you’re looking for something extra or something bigger than yourself, the ability to say ‘hey, I did that.’
‘Forever and always I will always be remembered as a United States Marine’.