An 84-year-old Lafayette man has been identified as the driver of a pickup truck that struck and killed a pedestrian in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. Ned Slate was driving a 2016 Ford F-150 when the fatal collision occurred Thursday evening. He reportedly told investigators that headlights from approaching vehicles made it difficult to see the person jogging along the road.
The crash happened around 6:10 p.m. November 5, near Piney Grove Drive and East 300 North, northeast of Lafayette. The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office said the collision involved a westbound pickup truck and a pedestrian who was also moving westbound near the road’s fog line.
According to investigators, Slate was traveling west on East 300 North when his truck struck the pedestrian. The force of the collision sent the jogger off the roadway.
Slate told investigators that headlights from eastbound traffic interfered with his ability to see the pedestrian. Authorities have not released further details about how close the approaching vehicles were or whether anything else may have affected visibility before the impact.
Emergency crews responded to the scene and transported the pedestrian to a hospital. The person was later pronounced dead, turning the collision into a fatal crash investigation.
The victim’s identity remains unknown to the public. The Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office has not released the person’s name, and authorities have not provided additional details about the victim.
Investigators said alcohol and drug impairment are not currently suspected in connection with the crash. Toxicology results are still pending, however, and remain part of the ongoing investigation.
The Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office has not announced any further findings or released additional details about the moments before the collision. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The collision occurred in rural Tippecanoe County, near the Greater Lafayette area in west-central Indiana. Authorities have yet to provide a final account of what happened before Slate’s pickup struck the pedestrian, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Incident location: Near Piney Grove Drive and East 300 North, northeast of Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana.
Driver identified: Ned Slate, 84, of Lafayette, Indiana.
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