Ball State student Michelle Bruggeman was pronounced dead after she was involved in a two-car crash on I-69 around 9:30 a.m. Sept. 3.
The Indiana State Police are still investigating the collision, which claimed the life of the 21-year-old student from Fort Wayne.
The preliminary evaluation by Master Trooper Don Stoffel said in the crash report that Bruggeman’s vehicle was traveling southbound when, for an unknown reason, it drove into and through the grass median. Bruggeman entered and spun into the northbound lanes at the 280 mile marker where she was struck on the driver’s side by a 2015 Volkswagen Beetle driven by 55-year-old Lu Zhang of Carmel.
Bruggeman suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by the Huntington County Coroner’s Office, according to the crash report. Zhang was transported to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne and was treated for minor injuries and later released.
After news of the crash, Ball State alum Austin Harris wrote in a Facebook post, "I will forever miss this girl being around.. [sic] I can't even process the thought that she's gone, I'm just in pure shock.. [sic] She's gotta be one of the most caring, fun, crazy, yet awesome people to have been around ... I can't imagine how her family feels but we all are going to miss her greatly. RIP Michelle, I'll remember that big smile and your words of wisdom along with all those crazy fun times too."
A GoFundMe page is collecting memorial donations for Bruggeman’s family to help cover funeral costs.
“If you ever had the chance to meet Michelle, you know how much of a kind, caring, and genuinely nice person she was. She touched so many peoples lives with her upbeat, positive attitude,” Mackenzie Renee, creator of the GoFundMe page, wrote.
Police said it is still unknown why Bruggeman’s car drove into northbound traffic.
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