A Goshen driver pleaded guilty on September 22, 2026, to six felony charges arising from a crash in which she struck a horse-drawn buggy on State Road 19 south of Nappanee, in an unincorporated part of Kosciusko County, and then left the scene, according to InkFreeNews.com[1]. The crash happened on Friday, May 29, 2026, and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office investigated.
Because one of the injured buggy occupants is a minor, this article does not name or otherwise identify anyone who was riding in the buggy.
What the reports say happened
According to InkFreeNews.com, Jakaila Marlyne Miracle, 25, of Goshen, was intoxicated when her vehicle struck the buggy, which was carrying five people. The Times-Union report[2] said a portable breath test produced a 0.14 percent result, but the sample was recorded as poor. InkFreeNews.com reported that Miracle left after the collision and was located later.
WNDU reported on the case[3] when the charges were brought in June. Amish America also covered the crash[4].
Four people in the buggy were hurt, according to InkFreeNews.com. A 43-year-old woman suffered a broken nose, an eye socket fracture and leg lacerations. A 41-year-old woman suffered a brain bleed and underwent surgery. A teenage occupant suffered a broken leg. The man driving the buggy suffered a minor leg injury. An infant riding in the buggy was not injured. Two injuries were classified as serious.
The guilty plea and sentencing
Miracle entered her plea in Kosciusko Superior Court Three. The six felony counts include operating while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury.
InkFreeNews.com reported that the plea agreement caps her initial executed sentence at 10 years. The report also said she was accused of battering a public safety official and throwing bodily waste on that official during the encounter after the crash. Sentencing is set for 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, in Kosciusko Superior Court Three.
What injured people should do next
A guilty plea may change the evidence available in an injury claim, but it does not start or complete the civil claim. You should obtain the sheriff’s crash report and the criminal court file. A police report does not determine civil liability, but it can identify evidence and explain what investigators recorded.
You should also keep a complete medical record. Emergency transport records, imaging, operative reports, follow-up visits and rehabilitation notes may each document a different part of an injury. Insurers can aggressively defend claims involving disputed treatment or gaps in the records.
Do not settle before the recovery and future needs are reasonably understood. Once you sign a valid release, later-discovered consequences may still fall within that release. Delventhal Law Office’s guide to Indiana horse-and-buggy accident claims explains additional insurance and evidence issues that can arise in these collisions.
Every potentially applicable insurance policy should be identified. The at-fault driver’s liability coverage may not be enough when several people are injured. Depending on the policy, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may provide another source of recovery. The firm’s information about uninsured and underinsured accident claims discusses how policy language and available coverage can affect a claim.
How Indiana law may apply
Indiana’s Comparative Fault Act, Ind. Code 34-51-2-6, generally bars recovery when an injured person’s fault is greater than 50 percent. Otherwise, the recovery is reduced by that person’s percentage of fault. A guilty plea can be significant evidence, but fault and damages in a civil case must still be addressed through the civil process. You can read more about Indiana’s 51 percent fault rule.
Indiana’s dram shop statute, Ind. Code 7.1-5-10-15.5, may allow a claim against a person or business that furnished alcohol when that provider had actual knowledge the person served was visibly intoxicated and the intoxication was a proximate cause of the injury. No source has reported where Miracle obtained or consumed alcohol, and this article does not suggest that any person or business served her.
Indiana requires minimum auto liability insurance of 25,000 dollars per person and 50,000 dollars per accident for bodily injury, plus 25,000 dollars for property damage, under Ind. Code 9-25-4-5. Indiana insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage under Ind. Code 27-7-5-2. The availability of that coverage depends on the policies and facts.
The ordinary two-year limitations period under Ind. Code 34-11-2-4 runs from the crash date, May 29, 2026, rather than the guilty-plea date. Ind. Code 34-11-6-1 provides a tolling rule for a person under a legal disability, including a minor, until that disability is removed. A parent’s separate claim for a child’s medical expenses is not necessarily tolled, so each deadline should be reviewed independently.
The crash occurred on a state highway, but nothing in the reporting suggests that the roadway contributed to it. If evidence were to support a claim against a government entity, different notice rules could apply. Ind. Code 34-13-3-8 requires notice within 180 days for a claim against a political subdivision, while Ind. Code 34-13-3-6 provides a 270-day period for a claim against the state.
How Delventhal Law Office can help
Delventhal Law Office, LLC is a Fort Wayne personal injury firm founded by attorney Chad E. Delventhal in 2009. The firm handles Indiana injury claims involving drunk driving crashes, hit-and-run drivers and state-highway collisions. Its work can include obtaining reports and court records, collecting medical documentation, identifying liability and UM/UIM coverage, and preserving evidence before records are lost.
If you were hurt by an intoxicated driver, you can review the firm’s information about drunk driving accident claims or request a free case evaluation. Insurance carriers may contest fault, medical causation and the amount of a loss, even when a related criminal case includes a guilty plea.
This post is based on public reporting, the investigation or court proceedings may be ongoing, and nothing here is legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship.
