DEKALB CO. – The Indiana State Police is investigating a fatal vehicle crash that occurred this afternoon at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Interstate 69 at the County Road 11A interchange (326mm), DeKalb County. The crash claimed the life of a twenty-two-year-old Indianapolis woman and critically injured another.
According to the preliminary crash investigation, a 2008 Ford Edge passenger car, operated by Mia Stevens, 22, of Indianapolis, was traveling northbound on I-69 at the 326-mile marker. This northbound stretch of interstate currently has a lane closure for bridge work being conducted north of the 326mm. Traffic was stopped in both lanes due to the construction and merging of traffic.
Investigators believe that Stevens did not notice the stopped traffic in time to get stopped and, therefore, did not have enough time and distance to get stopped, instead swerving abruptly from the passing lane toward the driving lane to avoid a collision. In doing so, the driver’s side of the Ford Edge struck the rear of a 2024 Volvo semi-tractor/trailer that was stopped in the driving lane. It is estimated that Stevens’s vehicle traveled at highway speed during the collision.
As a result of the collision, Mia Stevens suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the DeKalb County Coroner.
A passenger in Stevens’s car, Meghan Houston, 22, of Indianapolis, suffered critical injuries and was transported from the scene by Parkview EMS to PRMC in Fort Wayne. Her condition was unknown at the time of this release. The driver of the semi-tractor, Ruslan Velhan, 44, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was not injured.
During the investigation, Northbound travel lanes were shut down for roughly three hours. Traffic was diverted off the interstate at County Road 11A in DeKalb County and Union Chapel Road in Allen County.
This remains an active investigation. There are no further details to release.
At this time, investigators are unsure whether this crash was merely an incident of driver inattention or if other contributing factors were at play, such as driver impairment or distracted driving behavior. Regardless, the Indiana State Police must remind all motorists to be cautious when entering and negotiating through all roadway construction zones. Please pay close attention to posted signage warning of the “work zone ahead”, reduce vehicle speeds, and always expect the unexpected.
Troopers from the ISP Fort Wayne Post were assisted at the scene by the ISP Crash Reconstruction Team, ISP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Auburn Police Department, Allen County Police Department, Parkview EMS, Auburn Fire Department, the DeKalb County Coroner, INDOT workers, and Parker’s Wrecker Service.
