INDIANAPOLIS — A woman is dead after a crash on I-70 westbound Monday morning that was caused by a wheel flying off a truck and striking her vehicle.
On Tuesday, officials with the Marion County Coroner’s Office identified the woman who died as 68-year-old Diana Lynn Phelps.
According to Indiana State Police, around 7:45 a.m. troopers were called to the 77 mile marker of Interstate 70 for a crash.
ISP troopers reported that a wheel came off an eastbound truck and struck the windshield of a vehicle traveling westbound near Holt Road. The vehicle then went off the road, drove into a ditch and landed on its side near a house.
“When troopers arrived they located a severely damaged vehicle on its side in a residential area near Corrill Street and Wyoming Street, which is on the north side of I-70,” ISP said. “Troopers located the driver and pick-up truck on the eastbound side who had lost the wheel.”
According to ISP, the adult female driving the damaged vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts from EMS personnel.
A preliminary investigation by ISP troopers shows that the driver’s side rear wheel of a Nissan pickup truck broke off while traveling on I-70 eastbound. The wheel bounced over the median wall into westbound lanes and struck the windshield and roof of the woman’s car.
The roof and windshield of the damaged car, ISP said, collapsed. The woman’s vehicle then ran off the road to the right into a steep ditch, then drove through a fence before stopping around 25 feet from a nearby house.
ISP said that the Marion County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and will assist in troopers’ investigation into the crash. The woman’s next of kin has been notified. No further information was immediately provided.
