An evening jog in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, ended in tragedy Thursday after an 84-year-old pickup truck driver struck and killed a pedestrian along a rural road northeast of Lafayette. The driver, identified as Ned Slate of Lafayette, was behind the wheel when the fatal collision happened. The pedestrian’s identity has not yet been released.
The crash happened around 6:10 p.m. on November 5, near the intersection of Piney Grove Drive and East 300 North, according to the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office. The area is northeast of Lafayette, within the Greater Lafayette metropolitan area.
Investigators believe Slate was driving a 2016 Ford F-150 westbound on East 300 North when the truck struck a pedestrian who was also jogging westbound near the road’s fog line. The collision threw the jogger off the roadway.
Slate reportedly told investigators that headlights from vehicles traveling in the opposite direction made it difficult for him to see the pedestrian. He said the headlights from eastbound traffic affected his ability to spot the person before the crash.
First responders rushed to the scene and transported the injured pedestrian to a nearby hospital. Despite their efforts, the person was pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital.
The victim’s name has not been made public. The Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office has yet to release any identifying information, leaving authorities to withhold further details about the person who lost their life.
Investigators have not indicated that alcohol or drugs played a role in the collision. However, toxicology results are still pending as part of the investigation. Authorities have not ruled on the findings of those tests.
The sheriff’s office continues to investigate what happened before the pickup truck struck the jogger. Officials have not released additional information about the pedestrian or explained the circumstances immediately leading up to the impact.
For now, the investigation remains focused on the fatal collision near Piney Grove Drive and East 300 North. What began as an ordinary evening jog ended with one person dead, while investigators work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crash.