A South Bend woman was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly driving the wrong way on the Indiana Toll Road and causing a fiery head-on crash in Lake County, according to Indiana State Police.
Police said the crash occurred around 4:27 a.m. CST on May 17 after Trooper Jovanovic was dispatched to reports of a wrong-way driver traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of the Indiana Toll Road near the 21 mile-marker, about a mile west of the Toll Road Travel Plaza.
While en route, dispatchers advised the trooper that a head-on collision had just occurred near the 13.8 mile-marker by the Grant Street exit. One of the vehicles involved was reportedly fully engulfed in flames.
When Trooper Jovanovic arrived on scene, he located a red Chevrolet Impala consumed by fire and a dark-colored Cadillac sedan with severe front-end damage and deployed airbags.
Investigators identified the driver of the Impala as 27-year-old Gabriel Becerril Velasco of Elkhart. Velasco told police he had been traveling in the correct direction when the Cadillac, allegedly traveling the wrong way, struck his vehicle head-on.
Police identified the Cadillac driver as 44-year-old Jennifer Lynn Wallace of South Bend. According to ISP, Trooper Jovanovic detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Wallace while speaking with her at the scene.
Wallace agreed to standardized field sobriety testing and allegedly showed multiple signs of impairment. Police said she refused to submit to a portable breath test and later became verbally combative after being taken into custody.
After being advised of Indiana’s Implied Consent law, Wallace also allegedly refused a certified chemical test. Trooper Jovanovic then transported her to Methodist Southlake Hospital in Merrillville, where a Lake County judge authorized a search warrant for a blood draw.
Following the execution of the warrant, Wallace was transported to the Lake County Jail.
Indiana State Police said the following charges have been submitted to the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office for review:
- Operating While Intoxicated – Endangerment, Class A Misdemeanor
- Reckless Driving, Class A Misdemeanor
- Criminal Recklessness, Class A Misdemeanor
- Obstruction of Traffic, Class A Misdemeanor
- Operating While Intoxicated, Class C Misdemeanor
Velasco was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Police said he was treated and released the same day. His vehicle was completely destroyed in the collision and resulting fire.
Indiana State Police reminded motorists to never drive impaired and to report dangerous or erratic drivers by calling 911.
All suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
