A violent midnight crash near the I-80 exit ramps on Cline Avenue claimed the life of 33-year-old Nicole Loya and sent a 32-year-old man to the hospital early Monday. Lake County Sheriff’s deputies got the emergency call around 12:30 a.m. on September 7, 2026, arriving to find a Ford Explorer heavily wrecked across the roadway.
Preliminary reports show the Ford Explorer was traveling southbound on Cline Avenue toward the interstate interchange. For reasons investigators are still trying to figure out, the driver lost control and struck a solid concrete wall separating the lanes.
The momentum of the SUV forced it up and onto the concrete barrier, sliding along the top edge before crashing head-on into a light pole. The impact snapped the heavy pole from its base, sending it down as the vehicle rolled back onto Cline Avenue.
Nicole Loya, a Merrillville resident riding in the front passenger seat, suffered fatal injuries in the collision. First responders pronounced her dead at the crash site. Sheriff’s deputies reported that she was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the impact.
The driver, identified as a 32-year-old man from Lake Station, survived the violent crash with injuries. First responders treated him at the scene before rushing him to a local hospital for further medical care.
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. confirmed that crash reconstruction experts are looking into all potential factors behind the wreck. Investigators are specifically working to determine if excessive speed or alcohol played a role in why the SUV left the road.
While traffic investigators gather evidence and piece together the timeline of the crash, the Merrillville community is mourning a life cut short. The investigation remains open as authorities wait on medical reports and vehicle data to explain what went wrong on that dark stretch of road.
Leave a Reply