Along with two young staff members and the driver of another car, Jackie Walorski, a Republican who had been representing Indiana’s 2nd District in Congress since 2013, died in an automobile accident on Wednesday.

Just after noon, a two-car collision occurred in Elkhard County, Indiana. Walorski’s communications director Emma Thomson, 28, and district director Zachary Potts, 27, who was also the head of the St. Joseph County Republican Party, both passed away. The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement regarding the incident that the driver of the automobile that struck the SUV carrying Walorski, Thomson, and Potts also perished:

On Twitter, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) expressed his sympathy.
I am posting this statement from Congresswoman Jackie Walorski’s office with a heavy heart. pic.twitter.com/UEPoKBDf5N
GOPLeader’s Kevin McCarthy August 3, 2022

The most senior Republican on the House Ethics Committee was Walorski, who is 58 years old. The Ways and Means Committee was another position she held. Walorski served in the Indiana state House from 2005 to 2010 before entering Congress.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (tweeted): My heart is heavy, yet I am at a loss for words (R-Ill.). However, I can only offer my prayers for her family. She served the public in a nice and honorable manner.