Driver killed, passenger hurt after car runs off US 52, crashes into culvert in Tippecanoe County

LATEST: The man who died in the crash was identified as Lester Glenn Fox, 39, of Clarks Hill. His passenger was identified as Jessica Struble, 36, of Wheatfield.

STOCKWELL, Ind. (WISH) — A male driver died and his female passenger was hurt after their vehicle ran off U.S. 52, crashed into a culvert, and briefly went airborne.

The crash happened around 3:45 a.m. Saturday morning. The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office said deputies, along with the Lauramie Township Fire Department, were dispatched to the 8600 block of U.S. 52 South in response to a single-vehicle crash.

That block is about 20 minutes southeast of Lafayette near Stockwell.

When first responders arrived, they found two people inside the vehicle. The passenger had to be extricated from the vehicle, and unfortunately, the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The passenger was taken to a hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Investigators later determined that the vehicle was driving north on the highway when the driver drove off into a ditch. The car went through the ditch until it hit a culvert, and went airborne. The driver wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was partially ejected from the vehicle.

The road was closed for about two hours while crews were at the scene, and was reopened around 7 a.m. Saturday.

The sheriff’s office says they are still working to determine if alcohol was a factor in the crash.