Preschool teacher fatally struck while jogging in NW Indiana

CHESTERTON, Ind. (WLS) -- A preschool in northwest Indiana is closed Monday after a teacher was killed while jogging over the weekend.

Elizabeth Scott, 38, was training for her first marathon. When the avid runner was not pounding the pavement or spending time with her husband and twin boys, she was in the classroom at Field Station Cooperative in Chesterton, Indiana.

"We are family here so if anybody ever needed anything or needed assistance, she was just the one who would volunteer. She was always willing to go the extra mile," said Laurie Metz, director, Field Station Cooperative.

Porter County sheriff's deputies said Scott and another woman were jogging along a rural county road in Jackson Township on Saturday afternoon when an 18-year-old driver lost control of his car and struck both women.

Scott's running partner only suffered minor injuries, but Scott's injuries were much more severe. Scott later died at the hospital.

Field Station Cooperative closed for the day to allow staff, students and parents to grieve the loss of a beloved teacher.

"We were together literally a half hour before the accident happened. Everybody is still in shock. I think nobody can really believe it," Metz said.

Carly Pagels said she knew her 3-year-old daughter was well-taken care of with Scott at the head of the class. Now, she's forced to teach her daughter a lesson about life and death.

"I told her very bluntly just that she is not here anymore, and her body is very still and she is not coming back. So, she keeps asking if she is at home. Yes, maybe," Pagels said.

Investigators are still determining what led up to this deadly accident, but those who run know all too well the dangers of sharing the road with drivers.

"You have close calls where you hit the top of a car or you stop, and you're looking at them, 'Hey, pay attention.' Look right, look left, look right again before you make that righthand turn," runner Heather Henderlong said.

A memorial run/walk for Scott will be held in Chesterton on February 6.