New Albany, IN (August 2, 2026) – Just before 6 p.m. Sunday, a rear-end crash on eastbound Interstate 265 near the State Street interchange left a 14-year-old dead and sent a 16-year-old to the hospital with serious injuries, New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey said.
Investigators said dispatchers first received reports around 5:40 p.m. on August 2 of metal rods and fencing scattered across the eastbound lanes. Traffic backed up behind the debris, and a crash was reported in the same area shortly after.
According to police, a silver 2023 Ford Explorer carrying four people had stopped in the right lane because of the backup. As the driver, John Garber, 48, of Fort Wayne, tried to merge into the left lane, the Explorer was struck from behind by a 2005 Ford F-350.
A 14-year-old rear-seat passenger in the Explorer suffered fatal injuries. The teen has not been publicly identified. A 16-year-old rear-seat passenger was taken to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville with serious injuries.
John Garber and front-seat passenger Jennifer Garber, 51, also of Fort Wayne, were taken to UofL Hospital. John Garber’s injuries are not life-threatening, and Jennifer Garber suffered minor injuries. The driver of the F-350, identified by police as Michael Grant, 69, of New Albany, was not injured.
Eastbound I-265 was closed for about three hours while emergency crews worked the scene. Indiana State Police, called in to assist the New Albany Police Department, took over the investigation. The New Albany Fire Department and the Indiana Department of Transportation also responded. No charges have been filed, and police say the investigation is ongoing.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
No family expects an evening drive to end with an empty seat.
What to Do After a Fatal Car Accident in Indiana
Indiana State Police have not filed charges, and the investigation into how this crash happened is still open. Families in this position often have the same questions.
Can a family pursue a claim while Indiana State Police are still investigating?
Yes. A civil claim does not have to wait for the criminal investigation to close or for charges to be filed, if any are filed at all. Our Indiana personal injury attorneys can begin gathering evidence in parallel.
Who might be responsible for a rear-end crash like this one?
Under Indiana’s comparative fault rules, more than one party can share responsibility. An Indiana car accident attorney typically looks at how the following driver responded to stopped traffic, and separately, at whoever left the metal rods and fencing on the roadway that started the chain of events.
What can a wrongful death claim cover for this family?
A wrongful death claim in Indiana can cover funeral and burial expenses, medical costs from the crash, and the loss of the child’s future financial contribution and companionship to the family.
What is the filing deadline?
Indiana law generally gives a family two years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim (IC 34-23-1-1). For this crash, that deadline falls on August 2, 2028.
Contact Our Indiana Wrongful Death Attorneys
Losing a 14-year-old changes a family in ways that don’t follow a timeline. There’s no need to make any decisions about a claim right away.
Our Indiana wrongful death attorneys, led by founding attorney Steven L. Langer, have represented families across the state in crashes involving multiple vehicles and multiple injured people.
The debris that started this chain of events and the vehicles involved are still part of an open investigation, so records like the crash report and any dashcam footage are worth preserving now.
We work on contingency, which means no cost to talk with us and no fee unless we recover for your family.
Why Indiana families trust Langer & Langer:
- Founded 1980, over 45 years serving Indiana families
- 100+ years of combined legal experience
- Recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, American College of Trial Lawyers
