Feb. 19--Two people died in a car crash late Thursday on Interstate 65 near Crown Point in northwest Indiana, authorities said.
About 9:40 p.m., a 2000 Ford Windstar sideswiped a 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier while trying to pass it on the northbound lanes of Interstate 65, about 2 miles south of U.S. Route 231, according to a news release from Indiana State Police.
The Chevrolet's driver lost control and went off the road. The car rolled over, and its driver and passenger, who did not have seat belts on, were ejected onto the inner shoulder and the northbound left lane of the interstate, according to the release.
A good Samaritan blocked the northbound left lane of I-65 to protect one of the ejected people from oncoming traffic, the release said.
Both occupants of Chevrolet were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities are being withheld pending family notification, the release said.
A 19-year-old woman, the minivan's driver, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Franciscan St. Anthony Health in Crown Point, according to the release.
The minivan also went off the road as a result of the crash, knocking down a median cable barrier and coming to a halt in the grassy median after hitting a guardrail, the release said. She was wearing a seat belt.
Alcohol or drugs are not believed to be a factor in the crash.
No citations have been issued early Friday as a result of the crash, according to the release.
