HOWARD COUNTY, Indiana — A 39-year-old Kokomo man was killed on Monday afternoon, October 26, when his pickup crossed the centre of the road and struck an oncoming semi tractor-trailer head-on on Jefferson Street near Bridle Way in Howard County, the Indiana State Police said. The semi driver was not injured.
Source: Indiana State Police, via Your News Local
The state police Peru District is investigating the crash. In its preliminary findings, Master Trooper AJ Coffee said the collision happened shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Monday, October 26, 2026. Anthony D. LaCluyse, 39, of Kokomo, was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche eastbound on Jefferson Street near Bridle Way when, for a reason investigators have not yet determined, the Chevrolet crossed the centre of the roadway.
Source: WOWO News
The two vehicles and the two drivers
Coming the other way was a 2013 Kenworth semi-tractor pulling a trailer, driven by Cody W. Ayres, 40, of Bringhurst, Indiana. The Chevrolet struck the Kenworth, state police said. Despite life-saving measures at the scene, LaCluyse was pronounced dead at the crash scene by the Howard County Coroner's Office. Ayres was uninjured, and state police said the family of the deceased has been notified.
Who responded
Master Trooper Coffee was assisted at the scene by Master Trooper Todd Trottier, the Kokomo City Police Department, the Kokomo Fire Department, St. Vincent EMS, the Howard County Emergency Management Agency and the Howard County Coroner's Office — seven agencies in all, reflecting how a fatal crash on a county road draws in state investigators, city police, fire and medical crews and the coroner at once.
What investigators have ruled out — and what they have not
State police were explicit on one point: at this stage, neither alcohol nor narcotics are suspected of contributing to the crash. Just as explicitly, the reason the Avalanche crossed the centre line remains undetermined. Investigators have not said whether speed, a medical episode, distraction, a mechanical failure or road conditions played any part, and Awaaz Punjab is not speculating on any of those possibilities — the Peru District investigation is ongoing, and its findings will decide.
The Indiana State Police Peru District is still investigating. The cause of the centre-line crossing is officially 'undetermined', and police say neither alcohol nor narcotics are suspected at this time.
Why this matters for truckers
For Punjabi and other professional truck drivers, this is the crash scenario no training can fully prevent: a passenger vehicle crossing into the path of a loaded semi on a two-lane road, leaving the truck driver almost no room or time to react. A Kenworth tractor-trailer cannot swerve or stop like a car, and state police have reported no injury to Ayres and no suggestion in their preliminary account that the semi left its lane. The case underlines why centre-line discipline on rural and county roads — not only on interstates — is a life-and-death issue for everyone who shares the road with trucks.
What happens next
The Peru District investigation continues. Fatal-crash investigations of this kind typically examine the vehicles, the scene measurements and any available records before a final report is issued, but state police have given no timeline for their conclusions and have announced no charges or citations in connection with the crash. Awaaz Punjab will update this story if the state police release a cause or any further findings.
Awaaz Punjab's condolences are with the family of Anthony D. LaCluyse in Kokomo. Anyone who witnessed the crash on Jefferson Street near Bridle Way on Monday afternoon is the kind of witness investigators usually ask to come forward to the Indiana State Police Peru District.