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Driver Hurt After Car Rear-Ends Tanker, Rolls On I-69 In DeKalb County

By: Charlotte Burke • April 7, 2026 • DeKalb County, IN
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photos courtesy of the DeKalb Sheriff's Office

(DEKALB COUNTY) - A New Haven woman was hurt Tuesday morning after investigators say her car rear-ended a tanker semi and rolled over the cable barrier on Interstate 69 in DeKalb County.

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office says dispatchers first received a report around 7:39 a.m. of a reckless driver heading north on I-69 near the 326-mile marker.

Just minutes later, at 7:42 a.m., deputies were called to a rollover crash near the 330-mile marker.

Investigators say a 2014 Ford Fusion driven by 57-year-old Elizabeth Hughes of New Haven struck the rear of a 2016 Mack tanker semi driven by 67-year-old Daniel Staelens of Jerome, Michigan.

After the impact, the car veered off the roadway, hit the cable barrier and rolled over it.

Deputies say Hughes was found in and out of consciousness behind the wheel and was taken to Parkview Regional Medical Center by Parkview EMS.

Authorities later said she suffered only minor cuts and bruising.

Staelens was not hurt, and the tanker semi was able to be driven from the scene.

The sheriff's office says the crash remains under investigation pending chemical testing on both drivers.