Logansport, Indiana (August 5, 2026) – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a three-vehicle crash on U.S. 24 that left two Peru men with serious injuries after a driver headed the wrong direction into oncoming traffic early Wednesday morning.
Cass County Central Dispatch received a report of a crash with entrapment on U.S. 24, east of Logansport Road, at approximately 5:23 a.m. Emergency crews arriving on scene found the westbound lanes of the highway blocked.
A preliminary investigation by Deputy Joe Gentile found that 57-year-old Rose Stambaugh of Peru had been driving a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee eastbound in the westbound lanes of U.S. 24. The Jeep struck a westbound 2017 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by 51-year-old Matthew Kiefer, also of Peru.
The impact sent the Dodge Ram into a rollover. A third vehicle, a 2013 Dodge Dart driven by 35-year-old Zachary Ault of Peru, then struck the overturned truck, according to the sheriff’s office.
Kiefer and Stambaugh both sustained serious injuries and were flown to area hospitals for treatment. Ault was hospitalized following the crash. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office has not released the extent of his injuries.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
Wrong-Way Crash Liability in Indiana
Wrong-way crashes on a divided highway like U.S. 24 almost always trace back to the driver who entered oncoming lanes, and Indiana courts treat that as strong evidence of fault. For Matthew Kiefer and Zachary Ault, who were struck by a vehicle traveling against traffic, building a claim starts with locking down exactly how the crash unfolded before that evidence disappears.
- See a doctor right away, even if adrenaline covered up pain or symptoms at the scene
- Avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurance company, including your own, before talking with an attorney
- Preserve the crash-reconstruction findings from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, along with any dashcam footage or 911 audio that captured the wrong-way approach
- Hold off on accepting a settlement offer until the full cost of medical care, lost wages, and vehicle damage is known
Even if an insurer tries to argue that Kiefer or Ault could have reacted faster, Indiana’s modified comparative fault rule still allows recovery as long as a driver is found less than 51% at fault. Personal injury claims in Indiana must generally be filed within two years of the crash date under IC 34-11-2-4, which puts the deadline at August 5, 2028, for this crash.
Contact Our Indiana Wrong-Way Crash Attorneys
Getting hit by a driver going the wrong way leaves a person replaying the seconds before impact, wondering how there was no time to react. For Kiefer and Ault, there was nothing to see coming until the Jeep was already there.
Our Indiana car accident lawyer team has represented drivers and passengers struck by wrong-way and impaired motorists across the state, pursuing compensation tied to hospital bills, missed paychecks, and long recoveries from crashes neither victim caused.
Dashcam footage gets overwritten on a routine schedule, and 911 recordings don’t stay archived forever, so preserving that evidence now, while it still exists, matters more than most people realize after a crash like this one.
We handle these cases on contingency, which means there’s nothing owed upfront and nothing owed at all unless we recover money for you.
Why Indiana families trust Langer & Langer:
- Founded in 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
Talk to an Indiana Car Accident Attorney Today at 219-245-5881
