TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. — An investigation is underway after a 76-year-old man was killed in a crash just south of Lafayette late Tuesday morning.
The crash happened around 11:45 a.m. Oct. 10 in the 4800 block of U.S. Highway 52 South, near South 450 East.
According to the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office, a preliminary investigation determined a red Ford pickup truck driven by James Weldon, of Lafayette, experienced mechanical failure, and he pulled off to the right edge of the road, partially in the right lane.
Weldon exited the truck and was on the passenger side when it was struck by a 2021 Jeep SUV driven by a Lebanon man who was traveling northbound. Police said the Jeep was traveling in the right lane and failed to change lanes in time, striking the back of the truck, which was pushed into a ditch, pinning Weldon underneath it.
First responders pulled Weldon out from under the car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police confirmed the Lebanon man was not injured in the crash.
Around 10 minutes after the crash, a pickup truck whose driver had stopped to help was struck from behind by a southbound car. One person was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
U.S. Highway 52 South was closed for around three hours while the Tippecanoe County Crash Reconstruction Team investigated.
The crash remains under investigation, but police said drugs and alcohol are not currently believed to be factors in the incident.
