Two people die in a multi-vehicle crash on I-69 due to a wrong-way driver

Daleville, Indiana – Two people lost their lives in an early Sunday morning multi-vehicle incident caused by a wrong-way driver on Interstate 69 in Delaware County.

The individuals were identified as Fort Wayne residents Victoria Cox, 32, and Evan Cox, 26.

About 2:21 a.m., according to Indiana State Police. A call regarding a driver traveling the wrong way was received by Madison County Central Dispatch Center on Sunday. Another report of a head-on collision at the 234-mile marker on I-69 southbound at the Daleville exit was received by dispatch ten minutes later.

Anderson is roughly fifteen minutes drive east of Daleville.

Police discovered multiple damaged cars obstructing the I-69 southbound lanes when they arrived.

Officers discovered during their first investigation that Walter Saucedo-Mendoza, 30, was operating a silver Kia Forte when it struck a white Chevy Malibu head-on while traveling north in the southbound lanes. The Chevy’s occupants were recognized as the Coxes.

The Kia’s engine shifted after they collided, causing it to fall into the left lane of traffic. Then a silver VW struck the engine. The Kia then collided with a southbound semi-truck before coming to a “uncontrolled rest,” according to the police.

At the scene, the Coxes were declared deceased. After being transported by EMS to a hospital, Saucedo-Mendoza was flown to a hospital in Indianapolis. According to authorities, there were no injuries sustained by the other two drivers involved.

According to investigators, drinking may have had a role in the collision.

For approximately four and a half hours, the southbound lanes of I-69 were closed to facilitate the crash investigation and cleanup.