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La Porte County resident urges INDOT action after fatal crash on Highway 35
Summary
A La Porte County resident told commissioners that a southbound curve on Highway 35 has caused multiple crashes, including a recent fatality, and urged the board to press INDOT for guardrails and better signage; Commissioners said they would contact INDOT and pursue signage or the guardrail process.
Dean White, a La Porte County resident living near a dangerous curve on Highway 35, told the Board of Commissioners that a Friday the 13th crash near his home left a mother and three children injured and another driver dead.
White presented four color photos of the stretch southbound near the toll road overpass and said the collision occurred where a new gravel driveway and stone embankment appeared to have contributed to vehicles becoming airborne. “This curve has caused dozens of injuries and deaths over the years,” White said, and urged the County to press the Indiana Department of Transportation for additional warning signs and a guardrail with headlight deflectors.
President Steve Holifield said he had already spoken with INDOT but could not promise outcomes; Commissioner Joe Haney said he would reach out to his INDOT contact to pursue additional signs and said beginning the guardrail process would be appropriate though it may take longer. Haney said adding signs should be relatively straightforward and a near-term step to improve public safety.
The board did not approve a formal directive beyond the pledge to contact INDOT; no vote or county-funded construction was authorized during the meeting. The commission noted the incident involved emergency responders and that the Sheriff’s Department had been notified.
