Sergeant Dave L. Sandler, 48, suffered severe head injuries when his police motorcycle was hit by a car at about 8:20 pm on Wednesday, June 4, 1986. Sergeant Sandler was southbound in the 2700 block of Madison Avenue when a northbound car turned across his path. Witnesses agreed that the headlight on the motorcycle was not operating when the accident occurred, as darkness fell. A mechanical malfunction or burned-out bulb was suspected because the headlight was supposed to light automatically when the engine was started.
A passerby, Don Packwood, picked up the radio microphone from the wrecked motorcycle and called for help. Packwood, an Indiana University Safety Division policeman and instructor in CPR, helped perform life-saving measures. Sergeant Sandler was transported to Wishard Memorial Hospital where he died at about 11:00 pm.
Sergeant Sandler was a lifelong resident of Indianapolis and a 24-year veteran of the Police Department. He had served in the motorcycle unit for about three years. He was survived by his wife, Ethel; two daughters; and six grandchildren.
Source: The Indianapolis Star, June 5 and June 6, 1986