ST. JOSEPH COUNTY – Around 4 a.m. this morning, Indiana State Police dispatch responded to calls of a bicyclist being hit by a car on the Indiana toll road in the westbound lane just west of exit 72 for the US 20 bypass.
Indiana State troopers from the toll post, St. Joseph deputies, South Bend Fire, and EMS responded.
The investigation indicates that a black Kia was traveling west in the left lane, and when a man on a bicycle rode from the right shoulder of the road into the path of the Kia. The driver was unable to stop in time, and the man was killed in the injuries that resulted from the collision.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with officers, and was transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend for chemical tests as required by law in the case of fatal crashes. Results are pending.
The St. Joseph County Coroner is working to identify the victim of the crash. Westbound traffic was diverted during the investigation and reopened around 5:50 a.m.
Indiana law requires bicycles to be equipped with a lamp on the front that exhibits a white light visible from a distance of at least 500 feet and a red light or red reflector visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear if the bicycle is operated on a highway from one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise, however, bicycles are prohibited on the Indiana Toll Road.
This is an ongoing investigation and there is no other information to release at this time.
