One person is dead and two were seriously injured after a toll road crash in Elkhart County. Photo provided.

Press Release

ELKHART — One person died and two others were injured in an accident on the Indiana Toll Road Thursday afternoon, Oct. 8.

Around 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, Indiana State Police troopers responded to a serious crash between a semi and a passenger car on the Indiana Toll Road that required three people to be flown from the scene with serious injuries.

A 17-year-old later died as a result of his injuries.

The crash occurred in the eastbound lanes near mile marker 97, approximately five miles east of the Elkhart exit.

Preliminary investigation by Trooper Nathan Littlefield shows that a red 2020 Mack, towing a tanker trailer, driven by Donta Johns, 37, Chicago, Ill., was traveling east when it approached traffic that was traveling slowly due to a crash that had occurred earlier in the afternoon. Johns moved from the right lane to the left lane due to the crash ahead. As Johns slowed down, a gray Subaru traveling eastbound did not slow down and drove into the back of the tanker trailer.

The driver of the Subaru, Jeffrey Strain, 56, Stevensville, Mich.; and a front seat passenger, Christine Strain, 49, Stevensville, Mich., both suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and are in stable condition.

A backseat passenger in the Subaru, Lukas Strain, 17, Stevensville, Mich., died as a result of his injuries. The Strains were all flown from the scene to Memorial Hospital in South Bend.

West and east lanes of the Indiana Toll Road were shut down for approximately 40 minutes for three helicopters to land and load patients to be airlifted. All eastbound lanes of the Indiana Toll Road reopened at approximately 9:10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.

Drugs or alcohol are not suspected as factors in this crash.