A preliminary investigation revealed that at around 10 p.m., a 1997 Ford Expedition driven by a 37-year-old Fond du Lac, Wis., man was southbound on I-65 in the left lane and had slowed down for a crash that was ahead. After passing the crash, the driver began to accelerate his vehicle near the 226 mile marker, an ISP press release said.
The driver lost control of the Expedition on an ice patch. The Expedition spun out, went off the roadway and then rolled three to five times, coming to rest in the median, the release said.
The front seat passenger, Raymond J. Leveque, 64, of Fond du Lac, Wis., was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene by the Jasper County coroner.
A 58-year-old Fond du Lac woman in the back seat was also ejected and taken to South Lake Methodist Hospital in Merrillville, Ind., with critical injuries, the release said.
The driver was taken to Jasper County Hospital in Rensselaer where he was treated and released. The driver is the nephew of the two other passengers.
All lanes southbound were closed until 11:45 p.m. for the investigation and cleanup.
