INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — A woman has died and two other adults were injured in a three-vehicle crash on Indianapolis's near northwest side early on Saturday, November 14, 2026, and a driver has been arrested on a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD).

Source: WTHR Indianapolis

Officers were sent to the intersection of West 30th Street and North Tibbs Avenue at about 12:25 a.m. on a report of a crash involving three vehicles, IMPD said. Arriving officers found an adult woman in serious condition. Medics took her to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

The arrest — and what it does and does not mean

Two other adults who were riding in a second vehicle were taken to hospital with minor injuries, IMPD said. A third adult man, described by police as the driver of another vehicle involved in the crash, was arrested on a preliminary charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated — OWI, as the offence is called under Indiana law. A preliminary charge is an allegation made at the time of arrest; it is not a finding of guilt, and the arrested driver is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. Formal charging decisions in Marion County rest with the prosecutor's office.

Where it happened

The crash happened at the signalised intersection of West 30th Street, a major east–west arterial across Indianapolis's northwest side, and North Tibbs Avenue, close to St. Michael–St. Gabriel School. The intersection serves residential neighbourhoods on the near northwest side of the city, in Marion County.

What police have not released

Police have not released the name of the woman who died, the names of the two injured adults, or the name of the arrested driver. IMPD had also not described the types of vehicles involved or said what sequence of movements led to the collision. The crash remains under investigation.

Background: OWI and overnight fatal crashes

Indiana law treats operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a criminal offence, and an OWI arrest after a fatal crash is normally followed by a fuller investigation — including crash reconstruction and toxicology — before prosecutors decide on formal charges, which can be more serious than the preliminary charge recorded at the scene. Road-safety agencies describe the early hours of weekend nights as a high-risk period for impaired-driving collisions; officials have not said that impairment caused this crash, and that question is part of the IMPD investigation.

What happens next

IMPD investigators are continuing to reconstruct the crash. The woman who died is expected to be formally identified once her family has been notified. The arrested driver faces a prosecutorial review of the preliminary OWI charge, and police have asked anyone who saw the collision at West 30th and Tibbs to contact IMPD.