Baby seriously injured in late-night Muncie Bypass crash; driver arrested for DWI

MUNCIE, Ind. — A 1-year-old boy was seriously injured late Wednesday when a vehicle he was a passenger in was involved in a head-on crash on the Muncie Bypass.

According to Jeff Stanley, chief deputy of the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, the toddler was a passenger in a Jeep Compass driven by Jayden Lamarr Vance, 20, that collided with another SUV at the intersection with Cowan Road shortly before midnight.

Stanley said the other vehicle, also a Jeep Compass, had been eastbound on the bypass and had a green light to turn north on Cowan Road.

At that point, Vance's vehicle "failed to the yield right of way," leading to the head-on collision, the chief deputy said.

The child and a female passenger in Vance's vehicle were taken by ambulance to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital. The woman declined treatment there, according to a news release, so she could accompany the child when he was flown by medical helicopter to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

The female driver of the other SUV is pregnant, and she and a male passenger — reported at the scene to be having "breathing issues" — were taken by ambulance to the Muncie hospital.

Vance was arrested on preliminary counts of driving while intoxicated causing serious bodily injury and neglect of a dependent. He was being held in the Delaware County jail on Thursday under a $57,500 bond.

The Delaware County prosecutor's office will determine whether formal charges will be filed.

(This story will be updated,)

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Driver arrested for DWI after Muncie Bypass crash injures baby, others