LOUISVILLE, KY — Three people, including a 1-year-old boy, were killed early Sunday in a wrong-way crash on Interstate 65 near Seymour, Indiana, according to Indiana State Police.
The crash was reported just after 2:30 a.m. on southbound I-65 near the 48-mile marker in Jackson County, about one mile south of Seymour. Investigators said a Jeep was traveling north in the southbound lanes for an unknown reason before hitting an SUV head-on.
Police said both drivers died at the scene. The child, who was riding in the SUV, was taken to Norton Children’s Hospital after suffering critical injuries and later died.
Police identify the drivers in the fatal Jackson County wreck
Indiana State Police identified the Jeep driver as 51-year-old Theosco Middlebrooks of Louisville. The driver of the SUV was identified as 31-year-old Alyssa Osborn of Scottsburg.
Police said the collision happened when Middlebrooks’ Jeep entered the wrong side of the interstate and struck Osborn’s vehicle head-on. The impact killed both adults at the scene.
According to investigators, Osborn’s 1-year-old son, Waylon Osborn, was properly restrained in the rear seat. Even with that protection, he suffered critical injuries that proved fatal after he was taken to the hospital.
Investigators say alcohol likely played a role in the crash
State police said they believe alcohol use by Middlebrooks likely contributed to the crash. They did not immediately provide additional details about how they reached that conclusion.
The reason the Jeep was traveling north in the southbound lanes has not been explained. Police have not said whether weather, speed, road conditions, or another factor contributed to the wreck.
The crash remains under investigation, and officials have not announced any further findings or charges. For now, the case stands as another deadly reminder of how quickly a wrong-way driver can turn a highway into the scene of a mass fatality.
A deadly early-morning crash near Seymour closes a stretch of highway in public memory
The wreck happened in the early morning hours on a major interstate corridor that connects southern Indiana and Louisville-area travelers with points farther south. Fatal wrong-way collisions are especially dangerous because they often leave drivers with little or no time to react.
In this case, investigators said the Jeep was moving opposite traffic in the southbound lanes before the head-on impact. The collision left three dead, including a young child who had been properly buckled in the back seat.
Indiana State Police continue to examine the sequence of events leading up to the crash and have not released any additional updates about the investigation.
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