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3rd person dies from injuries in Delaware County crash

GASTON, Ind. (WISH) – A third person has died after a Tuesday afternoon crash on a Delaware County road.

The crash of two cars occurred about 3:30 p.m. on Wheeling Avenue at County Road 950N, about 5 miles north of Muncie, Krupa said.

Lydia J. Astrop, 18, had been airlifted to St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital after the crash, said Deputy Joe Krupa, public information officer for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. She was in a southbound car in which two other passengers died. They were the driver, Joshua Hartley, 18, and the front-seat passenger, Matthew Case, 28. The surviving passenger, Jacob Hartley, 18, was in critical condition when taken to IU Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie.

An initial investigation found the southbound vehicle, a white 2005 Ford Focus, likely crossed the centerline on a curve on Wheeling Avenue and struck a northbound vehicle, a white 2014 Ford Focus, Krupa said.

The driver of the northbound Focus, Benjamin Parsons 68, was taken in serious condition to IU Ball Memorial Hospital. He was the only person in the northbound car.

Krupa did not indicate the hometowns of any of the victims.

The driver of the southbound vehicle appears to have lost control of the vehicle on the curve due to speeding, Krupa said. Drugs and alcohol also are believed to be factors in the crash, Krupa said.