Huntington County, Ind. (WOWO) – The Indiana State Police is investigating a personal injury crash that occurred shortly after 6:20 this morning, August 31, 2025. The initial investigation shows a white Mercedes was traveling south on Meridian Rd., just south of SR114, at a high rate of speed when it left the roadway and hit a utility pole. The white Mercedes was suspected to have just fled from an attempted traffic stop initiated by an Indiana State Police Trooper.
Before the crash, the Indiana State Police Trooper heard a dispatch of a white passenger vehicle that fled from a home in Columbia City. The driver of the white passenger car had been caught attempting to break into a vehicle and fled. The Trooper noticed a vehicle well over the posted speed limit south on State Road 9 near State Road 14 in Whitley County. The vehicle the Trooper clocked matched the description of the vehicle from the incident in Columbia City. When the Trooper turned around and attempted to make a traffic stop on the white passenger car, identified as a Mercedes, it sped up, and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit ended up turning south onto County Road 200 East (which turns into Meridian Rd. in Huntington County). During the pursuit, the white Mercedes went dark (the lights were turned off). While on CR 200 E near SR114, it pulled out of sight of the Trooper. The Trooper then noticed a flash of light from a utility pole ahead. When he got south of SR114, there were utility lines down across the road, and the white Mercedes had crashed. There were no other vehicles involved, and only the driver was injured. The driver was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. During the investigation, it was determined there were no other passengers in the car at the time of the crash.
The Indiana State Police were assisted by the Huntington County Sheriff’s Department, the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, the South Whitley Police Department, Parkview EMS and Samaritan, and Smith’s Towing.
This is an ongoing investigation, and no other information is available at this time.
