Medical event causes multi-agency crash response on U.S. 31

Wednesday, September 9, 2026 at 1:00 AM

By Kathy Bottorff

A multi-agency response was triggered on Friday, September 4th, after a driver suffering an active medical event struck another vehicle on U.S. 31 and fled the scene before crashing into a ditch several miles north.

At approximately 3:10 p.m., Marshall County Central Dispatch received several 911 calls reporting a red Toyota SUV driving erratically northbound on U.S. 31 near 11th Road. Near that intersection, the SUV struck a black pickup truck and failed to stop at the scene.

Officers from the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, the Plymouth Police Department, and the Indiana State Police responded to the area, but heavy holiday traffic hindered their efforts to catch up to the SUV.

A Plymouth Police officer eventually located the red SUV continuing north on U.S. 31 near U.S. 6. The officer observed the vehicle drive into the grass median, cross over U.S. 31 South, and travel down a steep embankment on the west side of the highway. The vehicle then crashed into a ditch along the west side of U.S. 31, south of the railroad tracks.

LaPaz Fire and EMS were dispatched to the scene, where officers located the driver. The driver was non-compliant and was still attempting to operate the vehicle after the collision. He was briefly detained at the scene, but officers ultimately determined he was experiencing an active medical event that had caused the collision.

The driver, 42-year-old Daniel Lehman of New Paris, was transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, where he was treated and released.

The driver of the pickup truck, 84-year-old Salvadore Plaia of Plymouth, was operating a 2000 Chevy pickup at the time of the crash.

Agencies involved in the response included the Marshall County Sheriff's Department, Plymouth Police Department, Indiana State Police, LaPaz Fire, LaPaz EMS, and Tim's Towing.