Driver having medical episode kills cyclist before veering into bean field, IN cops say

A man from Florida hit and killed a bicyclist with his SUV while suffering a “medical emergency,” police in Indiana say.

While the nature of the medical episode is unclear, the Chesterton Police Department says the 54-year-old driver — identified as a resident of Port St. Lucie, Florida — “blacked out” behind the wheel on the morning of Monday, Sept. 2.

Although the man was unconscious, his vehicle kept moving, veering off the road and cutting across soccer fields before entering onto the road again, police said. The SUV narrowly missed a group of five cyclists before fatally striking the man leading the group, 65-year-old Salvador Mujica, of Porter.

Then the vehicle continued across two lanes of traffic and through a bean field before finally coming to a stop in the yard of a home roughly 500 yards from where the cyclists had been, police said.

Mujica and the driver were both taken to hospitals for treatment, but Mujica ultimately died from his injuries, according to police.

Police didn’t say what brought the Florida resident to Indiana.

Investigators conducted a reconstruction of the collision and are awaiting the results of a toxicology test. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Cpl. Ryan Miller of the Chesterton Police Department at 219-926-1136.

“On behalf of the entire Chesterton Police Department, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Salvador Mujica,” Police Chief Tim Richardson said. “Please keep the Mujica family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Chesterton is a 160-mile drive northwest from Indianapolis.

This story was originally published September 3, 2024 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Driver having medical episode kills cyclist before veering into bean field, IN cops say."