Indiana State Troopers are investigating a single-vehicle crash on the Indiana Toll Road that left one person dead early Sunday morning.
At about 5:58 a.m. deputies with the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to reports of a vehicle that crashed into a wooded area near the County Road 10 overpass for the Toll Road. When deputies arrived, they discovered a 2021 Dodge Ram in the trees that appeared to have come from the Toll Road, prompting a response from Indiana State Troopers.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the Dodge was traveling westbound on the Toll Road when it ran off the north side of the roadway, crashing through the guardrail near mile marker 87.7. The Dodge then rolled, coming to a rest in the wooded area where it was found. The driver, an 18-year-old man from Middlebury, was ejected during the crash and pronounced deceased at the scene.
Police say excessive speed and alcohol are suspected to be factors in this crash. A seatbelt is not believed to have been utilized at the time of the crash.
The right lane of the Toll Road was closed for crash investigation but reopened at approximately 9:00 a.m.