Two killed in head-on crash on I-69 in southwestern Delaware County
MUNCIE, Ind. —Two people were killed early Sunday in a head-on crash on Interstate 69 in southwestern Delaware County.
According to Indiana State Police, a Kia Forte driven by Walter Saucedo-Mendoza, 30, of Indianapolis, was traveling northbound in the interstate's southbound lanes when it collided head-on with a southbound Chevrolet Malibu driven by Victoria Elaine Cox, 32, of Fort Wayne.
Cox and a passenger in the Malibu, Evan Daniel Cox, 26, also of Fort Wayne, were pronounced dead at the scene — near the 234 mile-marker and the Ind. 32/67 interchange in Daleville — by Delaware County Coroner Gavin Greene.
Saucedo-Mendoza was taken by ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, and was later flown by medical helicopter to an Indianapolis hospital.
The crash was reported to emergency dispatchers just after 2:30 a.m.
State police said alcohol "was suspected to be a factor in the crash."
A few minutes before the crash, dispatchers in Madison County had received a report of a wrong-way driver in the southbound lanes of the interstate, and officers in the area were trying to find that vehicle when the fatal collision took place.
In the head-on crash, the engine of the Kia Forte became dislodged and was "stationary" on the interstate, where it was struck by a Volkswagen, according to a release issued by ISP.
The Kia also struck a southbound semi-tractor trailer before coming to a stop.
The drivers of the Volkswagen and the semi were not injured.
The southbound lanes of the interstate were closed for more than four hours as members of an ISP crash reconstruction team conducted an investigation, and the vehicles were removed from the scene.
In addition to state police, other agencies responding to the scene included the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, Daleville and Chesterfield police, Delaware County EMS and Saltem Township firefighters.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Head-on crash on I-69 near Daleville kills two
