James Hornung and Kyle Socha left the Davey Tavern just before closing time Saturday morning.

As Socha sat behind the wheel of a 1995 Ford Explorer, Hornung stepped onto the rocker panel. Witnesses said it looked like he was trying to put the SUV into park or take the keys, Lancaster County Sheriff's Capt. Don Young said Monday.

Authorities believe Hornung was trying to stop his friend from driving drunk, Young said, but the Explorer plowed about 100 feet through a yard at 3620 Cedar St. in Davey and hit two trees and a parked car.

Hornung, a 24-year-old who lived in Lincoln, was crushed between the SUV and the driver's door of a parked 1994 Oldsmobile. He was taken to Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln, where he was pronounced dead.

Socha, also 24 of Lincoln, was admitted to BryanLGH Medical Center West in Lincoln for observation. Young said he will be ticketed, but he wasn't sure what the citation will be. Socha was still hospitalized and stable on Monday, but Young did not give details about his injuries.

He said Socha's blood was tested for alcohol at the hospital, but the results were not available Monday.

Young said he was not sure whether Hornung was drinking and won't be able to say for sure until toxicology results from an autopsy are in.

State Highway Safety Administrator Fred Zwonechek said many people wind up in the situation authorities believe Hornung faced Saturday morning.

"We wouldn't encourage anyone putting themselves at risk like that where the vehicle's going to be moving," he said.

It's better to designate a sober driver before drinking than to try to get someone's keys or disable a vehicle after, Zwonechek said.

"Then you basically ... eliminate a lot of these situations from occurring. It's a good practice and habit to get into."

If the person drives anyway, Zwonechek recommends calling police.

"The worst thing that could happen is they're arrested for drunk driving," he said. "They might not thank you today, but in the long run you likely saved their life or prevented them from hurting or killing someone else."

Hornung and Socha graduated from Raymond Central High School in 2003.

Hornung, a plumber for HEP Inc., studied welding at Southeast Community College, said his father, John Hornung of Raymond.

He also owned Spikes Mowing Service and enjoyed camping, swimming, trap shooting, fishing, hunting, gardening and farming, according to his obituary.

Hornung is survived by his father, his mother and stepfather, Debra Hornung and Jim Mara, of Ceresco, and his fiancé, Sherry Smith, of Lincoln.

A funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Davey. Visitation will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Metcalf Funeral Home in Lincoln, with a rosary service starting at 7.

Reach Hilary Kindschuh at 473-7120 or hkindschuh@journalstar.com.