Chicago boy, 15, dies after dad suffers 'coughing or choking' fit, crashes on Ind. Toll Road

STEUBEN COUNTY, Ind. (WLS) -- A Chicago teen is dead after his father crashed their family vehicle in Indiana.

On Sunday around 4:20 p.m., Indiana State Police responded to a single-vehicle fatal crash on the Indiana Toll Road in Steuben County.

The 44-year-old driver, from Chicago, experienced a medical condition involving incontrollable coughing or choking and temporarily lost his vision, police said. The driver was attempting to pull onto the shoulder of the highway when he apparently hit the accelerator instead of the brake, police said.

The vehicle veered into the north ditch, slid sideways, and struck a tree.

The red 2015 Dodge Journey was carrying a family of two adults and three children at the time of the crash. An 8-year-old girl in the back seat was initially trapped in the vehicle. She, the driver, and his 17-year-old son were injured in the crash.

The 8-year-old was flown by helicopter to Parkview Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The driver and his injured son were transported by ambulance to the same hospital. The extent of their injuries is unknown.

The woman in the vehicle was uninjured.

The driver's 15-year-old son was pronounced dead at the scene from head trauma.

Lagrange County and the Orland, Ind., Fire Department assisted with ambulance service. The Orland Police Department and Steuben County Sheriff's Department also assisted in the investigation.