Seymour, IN (August 23, 2026) – A wrong-way driver on Interstate 65 killed a mother and her 1-year-old son early Sunday morning in a head-on crash that also killed the wrong-way driver, according to Indiana State Police.
Shortly after 2:30 a.m., a caller reported a head-on crash on southbound I-65 near mile marker 48, about one mile south of Seymour in Jackson County. Investigators determined that a 2005 Jeep Liberty driven by 51-year-old Theosco Middlebrooks of Louisville, Kentucky, was traveling north in the southbound lanes when it collided head-on with a 2023 Ford Escape driven by 31-year-old Alyssa Osborn of Scottsburg.
Middlebrooks and Osborn were both pronounced dead at the scene by the Jackson County Coroner’s Office.
Osborn’s 1-year-old son, Waylon Osborn, was properly restrained in the rear seat and survived the initial crash with critical injuries. He was flown to Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, where he later died.
Investigators believe alcohol use by Middlebrooks likely played a role in the crash. Toxicology results are still pending. Southbound I-65 was closed near Seymour for about four hours while the Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Team investigated.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
Wrongful Death Claims After a Wrong-Way Crash in Indiana
A wrong-way collision caused by a suspected drunk driver is one of the clearest fault patterns in Indiana crash law, and it opens more than one path to compensation.
- Who may be liable: the wrong-way driver’s estate, and potentially the bar or business that served them if Indiana’s dram shop law applies
- What investigators examine: toxicology results, the vehicle’s black box data if equipped, and witness accounts of the wrong-way travel
- What a wrongful death claim can cover: funeral and burial costs, medical expenses before death, lost future income, and the loss of companionship for surviving family
A civil wrongful death claim moves on its own timeline and does not wait for any criminal charges against Middlebrooks’ estate to be resolved.
Under Indiana law, wrongful death claims must generally be filed within two years of the date of death (IC 34-23-1-1). For this crash, that deadline falls on August 23, 2028.
Contact Our Indiana Wrongful Death Attorneys
Losing a daughter, a grandson, or a sister to a driver who should never have been on the road that morning leaves a grief that a phone call cannot fix, and we do not pretend otherwise.
Our Indiana wrongful death lawyers have represented families through exactly this kind of loss, built on the same careful fact-gathering that any strong Indiana car accident claim requires.
Toxicology results and crash reconstruction data take time to finalize, and having an attorney involved early means someone is tracking that record from the start.
We work on contingency. There is no upfront cost to speak with us, and no fee unless we recover for your family.
Why Indiana families trust Langer & Langer:
- Founded in 1980, serving Indiana families for more than 45 years
- 100+ years of combined trial experience among our attorneys
- Free consultations and no fee unless we win your case
