A woman was left in critical condition after an SUV struck her before dawn Tuesday on Indianapolis' far east side, and the 77-year-old driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators as police worked to piece together what happened. Officers found her unresponsive in the roadway near a busy arterial corridor, and she was rushed to a hospital as the crash remains under investigation.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers were dispatched around 6 a.m. to the 3000 block of North Mitthoefer Road, according to FOX 59. Responders located the woman near the intersection of East 30th Street on the city's far east side, as reported by WTHR. She was taken to an area hospital in critical condition.
The driver of the SUV remained on scene and cooperated with authorities, and the station's report identifies him as a 77-year-old man. Police did not observe signs of impairment, though the same account notes that officers are still investigating the circumstances of the crash.
What Indiana Law Requires After a Serious Crash
Even without visible signs of impairment, state law sets a testing protocol. Under Indiana Code § 9-30-7-3, officers must offer a driver involved in a crash resulting in serious injury or death a portable breath test or chemical test; any chemical test must be administered within three hours.
Separately, Indiana Code § 9-21-8-37 imposes a general duty of care on drivers to avoid colliding with pedestrians on any roadway, including sounding a horn warning when necessary, per Justia Law. That duty exists independent of whether a crosswalk is marked at the location.
A Corridor With a History of Pedestrian Hazards
A Corridor With a History of Pedestrian Hazards North Mitthoefer Road has drawn scrutiny before over pedestrian safety. In July 2024, the Indianapolis Department of Public Works finished replacing a damaged pedestrian bridge along the corridor near 42nd Street, WTHR reported at the time.
The stretch has also seen other recent public safety incidents, including a fatal shooting near Mitthoefer Road that Hoodline covered earlier this month.
Indianapolis Works to Reduce Pedestrian Deaths
The crash comes amid Indianapolis' effort to curb pedestrian and cyclist deaths.
The city's Vision Zero Task Force passed a 102-page Vision Zero Action Plan at its December 2, 2025, meeting, as reported by Mirror Indy. The plan emerged from a city-county task force that held its first meeting in October 2024.
Regional data underscores the scale of the challenge. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization's 2026 Safety Action Plan update found Central Indiana recorded 790 fatal traffic crashes resulting in 825 deaths between 2020 and 2025 across its planning area. Nationally, the Governors Highway Safety Association estimated 6,732 pedestrian deaths in 2025, a 7% decline from 2024 and the third straight year of national drops.
Tuesday's crash remains under investigation, and no charges have been announced.
