A tragic wrong-way collision in Northwest Indiana has resulted in the death of one woman and left two others with serious injuries, according to police reports.
The grieving mother of the 20-year-old victim has shared her story exclusively with ABC7 Chicago, as the family seeks justice for their loss.
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In the early hours of Saturday, just before 2 a.m., emergency responders from the Hobart Fire Department rushed to the scene of a devastating crash on Interstate 65. The incident, involving two vehicles, occurred north of 61st Avenue near Merrillville, Indiana.
Rylee Hanson, aged 20, lost her life in a head-on collision caused by a vehicle traveling the wrong way in the northbound lanes.
“I had Rylee when I was 20, and she shaped the person I am today,” her mother, Karen Hanson, expressed. “She inspired me to become a better person, to pursue goals, and to set positive examples for my children. She was half of my life. I am lost without her.”
Rylee’s family remembers her as a beacon of joy. A graduate of Kankakee Valley High School in Demotte, Indiana, she obtained her EMT certification from Ivy Tech Community College and was preparing to further her studies in criminology at Indiana University.
Her parents are appalled nobody has been charged in the crash.
“We want to see change with how drinking is handled,” Karen Hanson said. “There’s gotta be a better way for how people drink or get served or more punishment for impaired drivers out on the road where they’re not getting so many chances.”
Troopers said they believed that the driver of the car going the wrong way was impaired at the time.
“We are going to make her as proud as she made us,” Karen Hanson said. “Because she did… there are no words to tell you about the pain. It is indescribable.”
The investigation is still ongoing. Anyone with footage of the crash, or of the vehicles prior to the crash, has been asked to contact Indiana State Police.
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