State police: Driver asleep before Toll Road crash that injured 6

ORLAND, Ind. (WISH) — State police believe a Memorial Day crash on the Indiana Toll Road that sent six people to the hospital was caused by a driver who fell asleep behind the wheel.

At around 4:45 p.m. Monday, Indiana State Police troopers were called to a two-vehicle, head-on crash in the eastbound lanes of I-80/I-90 near Orland. That’s in northwestern Steuben County, roughly 175 miles north of Indianapolis near the Indiana-Michigan border.

Troopers arrived at the scene and found a Lexus passenger car with heavy front-end damage in the eastbound lanes, a car on fire in an eastbound-side ditch, and six injured adults being tended to by first responders.

Two of the adults were bleeding severely, state police say, and three helicopters were needed to transport all six people to hospitals in Fort Wayne.

State police say several motorists immediately stopped after the crash and helped rescue four people from the burning car.

Investigators believe the driver of the Lexus, identified by police as a 20-year-old man from Ohio, was headed west on the Toll Road when he fell asleep and veered off the road and into the median.

The Lexus crossed into the eastbound lanes and crashed head-on into the other car, driven by a 58-year-old man from Ohio. After that impact, the second vehicle ran into a ditch and caught fire.

All six people involved in the crash were wearing seatbelts, state police say.

The eastbound and westbound lanes of travel were closed for nearly four hours for police investigation and cleanup.