What started as a routine traffic stop on northbound I-65 near Greenwood turned into a four-car pileup on Saturday morning, sending several people to the hospital and clogging traffic for hours, according to Indiana State Police. The driver at the center of it all was arrested at the scene.
How state police say it unfolded
Indiana State Police said a trooper tried to pull over a gray Chevrolet Equinox for speeding and an allegedly false license plate, but the driver refused to stop and took off north on I-65, according to WISH-TV. Troopers identified the driver as 25-year-old Nicole Bryant of Indianapolis.
Investigators say Bryant moved onto the shoulder to get around other cars and hit another vehicle, kicking off a chain-reaction crash that ultimately involved four vehicles, per WISH-TV. Bryant was taken into custody in Johnson County.
One adult woman from a separate vehicle was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, while five other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to WISH-TV. The wreck turned the interstate into a parking lot as emergency crews worked the scene.
Why pursuits are risky
High-speed pursuits like this are exactly the kind of situation that safety experts have been warning about. A national analysis in JAMA Network Open counted 5,425 fatal pursuit-related crashes between 2009 and 2023 and found that deaths climbed over that period. The authors argued that agencies need tighter, risk-based pursuit rules and more consistent reporting.
Police reform advocates and the Police Executive Research Forum have likewise pressed departments to narrow the situations where officers give chase and to invest in non-pursuit tools, such as better investigative follow-up and technology, in order to cut down on injuries and fatalities, per Police Executive Research Forum.
Pattern on I-65
The Greenwood stretch of I-65 has had more than its share of serious trouble lately, underscoring how quickly one high-speed incident can spiral into multiple crashes and long closures. Local reporting has highlighted a March chase that flipped an Indiana State Police cruiser in Clarksville, according to a March chase that overturned an Indiana State Police cruiser, along with other major wrecks along the corridor, per WRTV.
What happens next
Indiana State Police said troopers stayed on scene to investigate and have not yet said whether Bryant faces formal charges, according to WISH-TV. Investigators are still sorting through evidence and witness statements to lock in the exact sequence of events that turned one attempted traffic stop into a four-car crash.
