Hebron Woman Charged In Fatal Wrong-Way Crash On I-65 In Lake County
Jessica Taylor Hughes, of Hebron, is facing felony charges after Indiana State Police say she drove the wrong way on Interstate 65 while intoxicated and caused a head-on crash that left one person dead and another injured.
According to court documents, the crash occurred on February 21, 2026, near the 256.4 mile marker of Interstate 65 in the northbound lanes in Lake County.
Indiana State Police troopers responded after dispatch received reports of a wrong-way driver involved in a crash.
When troopers arrived, they observed a silver Toyota SUV with extreme crash damage to the front driver side sitting in lane one of the northbound lanes. Debris from the crash was scattered across lanes and shoulders of the interstate.
Court records state Hughes was found entrapped in the driver’s seat of the SUV. Firefighters and EMS later removed her from the vehicle and placed her in an ambulance until an air ambulance helicopter arrived to transport her to a hospital.
Troopers then located the other vehicle involved further north along the interstate shoulder. The vehicle, described in court documents as a black Ford passenger car, was missing most of its front half and the engine had become detached during the crash.
A female passenger from that vehicle was found sitting on the roadway with cuts to her face and in visible pain. According to court documents, she told troopers:
“we were driving and this car was on the wrong side of the road and hit us straight on.”
Police said the driver of that vehicle had been partially ejected. The Lake County Coroner’s Office later determined the driver was deceased at the scene.
The injured passenger was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital with cuts and bruises that required medical attention.
Investigators also spoke with multiple witnesses at the scene. One witness told troopers he was traveling northbound in lane one at approximately 81 miles per hour when the vehicles collided head-on. Another witness reported seeing a vehicle driving the wrong way in the northbound lanes before the crash occurred.
Before Hughes was airlifted from the scene, troopers read Indiana Implied Consent and administered a preliminary breath test, which showed a 0.138% reading, according to court documents.
Medical records later obtained by investigators indicate Hughes had a blood alcohol serum level of .219, which investigators stated converts to approximately .186 alcohol concentration in whole blood.
Court documents state the crash occurred after Hughes drove southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 65, striking the other vehicle head-on.
Charges filed March 11,2026:
• Causing Death When Operating a Motor Vehicle with an ACE of .08 or More — Level 4 Felony
• Causing Serious Bodily Injury When Operating a Motor Vehicle with an ACE of .08 or More — Level 5 Felony
• Reckless Homicide — Level 5 Felony
