Portage, IN (June 26, 2026) – Portage police responded twice to a home on Fiesta Avenue on June 26 over reports of threats and a protection order violation, according to police. Officers could not find the suspect on the first call.
Police were called back to the home around 3:45 p.m. As responding officers arrived, they saw the suspect’s vehicle traveling away from the home, police said.
One officer checked on the complainant while another located the suspect heading south on Willowcreek Road. That officer tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the driver continued south, made a U-turn at the intersection with 700 North, and sped away, according to police.
The driver then continued north on Willowcreek Road and ran a red light at the intersection with U.S. Highway 6, police said. He struck an oncoming vehicle and lost control, traveling off the road’s northeast corner before hitting a tree and rolling several times.
The suspect vehicle’s driver, a male of unknown age, was ejected and airlifted for treatment, according to police. His passenger, a female of unknown age, was hospitalized with minor injuries.
The vehicle then struck another car in a parking lot before finally stopping, police said. The driver of the vehicle hit at the intersection was treated at the scene and released. A person inside the vehicle hit in the parking lot was hospitalized with minor injuries.
Police are investigating.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
A high-speed chase that ends with two uninvolved drivers getting hit can leave them facing sudden medical bills and vehicles that may no longer be safe to drive.
Car Accidents Caused by Police Pursuits in Indiana
A pursuit that ends with two uninvolved vehicles getting hit raises questions that a routine fender bender does not.
- See a doctor the same day, even if you feel fine. Some injuries surface hours later.
- Do not give a statement to the fleeing driver’s insurance company before speaking with an attorney.
- Preserve the police report number, dashcam or body camera footage, and photos of vehicle damage.
- Do not accept a settlement before an attorney reviews it.
Liability typically falls on the fleeing driver, who can be held civilly responsible for injuries caused while evading police, separate from any criminal case. Because that driver was actively fleeing, insurance coverage is often unclear, so uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may come into play for the other drivers.
Indiana law generally gives injured people two years from the date of a crash to file a personal injury claim (IC 34-11-2-4). For a crash on June 26, 2026, that deadline falls on June 26, 2028.
Contact Our Indiana Car Accident Attorney
Getting run off the road by someone else’s reckless choice is frightening, whether you walked away with bumps and bruises or you are still being treated for injuries that flared up after the adrenaline wore off.
Our Indiana car crash injury attorneys have spent more than 45 years helping Indiana families hold negligent and fleeing drivers accountable for crashes just like this one, including cases where the at-fault driver was trying to outrun the police. We know how to deal with multiple insurance carriers at once and how to push back when a fleeing driver’s coverage tries to limit what it owes.
Body camera footage, the official pursuit report, and any nearby surveillance video can disappear or be overwritten within days, so the sooner that evidence is requested and preserved, the better the chance it survives long enough to matter.
There is no upfront cost to find out where you stand, and nothing is owed unless we win your case. Call 219-245-5881 now.
