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Wrong-way driver causes multivehicle crash on I-69, killing 2

Wrong-way driver causes multivehicle crash on I-69, killing 2

DALEVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A wrong-way driver on Interstate 69 in Delaware County caused a multivehicle crash that killed two people early Sunday morning.

The people were identified as Victoria Cox, 32, and Evan Cox, 26, of Fort Wayne.

Indiana State Police say around 2:21 a.m. Sunday, Madison County Central Dispatch Center received a call about a wrong-way driver. Ten minutes later, dispatch received another report of a head-on crash at the 234-mile marker on I-69 southbound at the Daleville exit.

Daleville is about a 15-minute drive east of Anderson.

When police arrived, they found several damaged vehicles blocking the southbound lanes of I-69.

In their preliminary investigation, officers learned that a silver Kia Forte, driven by 30-year-old Walter Saucedo-Mendoza, was driving north in the southbound lanes when it hit a white Chevy Malibu head-on. The Coxes were identified as the occupants of the Chevy.

After they hit, the Kia’s engine became dislodged and landed in the left lane of the road. A silver Volkswagen then hit the engine. The Kia then also hit a semi-truck going southbound and came to an “uncontrolled rest,” police say.

The Coxes were pronounced dead at the scene. Saucedo-Mendoza was taken to a hospital by ambulance before being flown to an Indianapolis hospital. The other two drivers involved did not sustain any injuries, police say.

Investigators say they believe alcohol is a factor in the crash.

The southbound lanes of I-69 were shut down for about four and a half hours for the investigation and to clear the crash.