In St. Joseph County on Tuesday officers and first responders were dispatched to the U.S. 31/U.S. 20 bypass, at the bridge over Lincoln Way, for a three-vehicle crash involving a truck/semi-trailer. All vehicles involved in the crash were traveling northbound on the bypass. A semi was traveling in the right hand lane and changing lanes into the left lane when the crash occurred. The front of the semi collided with the rear of a F150 pickup

truck, causing the F150 to spin into the right lane, where it hit a Mazda Miata. After the

impact, the Miata and the F150 ended up in the lower elevation area between the

northbound lanes and the onramp, where the F150 hit a tree.

The driver of the F150, 50 year old Jeffrey Perez, of LaPorte, was taken to the hospital and

treated. His front seat passenger, 26 year old Brandon Perez, was pronounced deceased at the

scene. A 3 year old passenger in the back seat, was also injured in the crash and remained in the hospital. The driver of the Miata, was taken to the hospital and treated. The driver of the truck and semi-trailer was uninjured.