A bicyclist riding with five companions died of injuries sustained when he was struck by an SUV on East Porter Avenue on Monday morning, according to the Chesterton Police Department.
Police identified the victim as Salvador Mujica, 65, of Porter, in a release shared on Facebook.
According to the CPD, at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 2, a 54-year-old Port St. Lucie, Florida, motorist was northbound on Indiana 49 when he began “experiencing a medical emergency” and turned right onto eastbound East Porter Avenue, where “he blacked out.”
The vehicle veered off East Porter Avenue to the south, continued eastbound through the grass near the soccer fields, and then crossed Dickinson Road, police said. The SUV was still off the roadway when it passed five bicyclists also eastbound on East Porter Avenue but then re-entered the roadway and struck Mujica, the sixth bicyclist, who was leading the group.
The SUV crossed both lanes of East Porter Avenue and traveled through a bean field before coming to rest in a yard on Sawgrass Drive in the Villages of Sand Creek, nearly 500 yards from the bicyclists, police said.
Mujica died from his injuries at Northwest Health-Porter, police said, while the motorist was treated at the Franciscan Alliance emergency department and subsequently released.
A CPD accident reconstructionist was called to the scene to lead the investigation and reconstruct the accident. Toxicology test results are pending and no further information is available at this time, police said.
The Chesterton Fire Department, Porter Police Department, Northwest Health-Porter, and Joe’s Towing also responded to the scene and assisted.
Anyone who may have witnessed the accident and hasn’t spoken to officers is encouraged to contact Cpl. Ryan Miller at 219-926-1136.