County Police release details on Tuesday's fatal crash on S.R. 17 at S.R. 8

A 46-year-old Fort Wayne man was killed, and two of his passengers were hospitalized on Tuesday morning following a collision with a semi-tractor-trailer at a Marshall County intersection.

According to a news release from the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, the crash occurred at approximately 11:23 a.m. on Tuesday, March 24th, at the intersection of State Road 17 and State Road 8.

Investigators state that Michael Vebert, 46, of Fort Wayne, was driving a 2008 Mercury Sable eastbound on State Road 8 approaching the intersection. At the same time, 61-year-old Mitchell Sailor of Elkhart was driving a 2018 Freightliner semi-tractor trailer southbound on State Road 17.

The preliminary investigation indicates that Vebert's vehicle failed to yield the right of way to the oncoming semi, leading to the collision.

Vebert was pronounced dead at the scene. An adult front-seat passenger in Vebert's vehicle sustained injuries and was transported to Memorial Hospital of South Bend. A juvenile riding in the back seat was also transported to Memorial Hospital for unknown injuries.

Sailor, the driver of the semi, was not injured in the crash and refused medical treatment at the scene.

The Marshall County Sheriff's Department is continuing to investigate the collision. They were assisted at the scene by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Plymouth Fire/EMS, Culver EMS, and the Marshall County Coroner's Office.