Driver in wrong-way Indiana Toll Road crash that killed 4 was on alcohol, THC

Toxicology results from a September car crash in northwest Indiana that killed four people, including a Chicago child, revealed the driver going the wrong way was under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.

The now-deceased driver, 25-year-old Tiara Davis of Calumet City, registered a blood alcohol content of 0.22, which is more than twice the legal limit, according to a Wednesday statement from Indiana State Police. She also tested positive for marijuana.

On Sept. 1, emergency crews responded to the crash about 1:40 a.m. in the eastbound lanes of the Indiana Toll Road near the Grant Street exit in Gary, ISP said.

A Toyota SUV was heading west in the eastbound lanes without its headlights on, police said. It collided head-on with a Jeep SUV that was traveling in the left lane.

The driver of the Toyota, identified as Davis, was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lake County Coroner’s Office, police said.

The Jeep driver, 45-year-old Octavio Chavez-Renovato of Chicago, also died at the scene, along with his front seat passenger and wife, Eva Gonzales, 34, and their 14-year-old son Luis.

The family’s three daughters, who range in age from 7 months old to 11 years old, were seriously injured and initially taken to Methodist Hospital in Gary, police said. The 10-year-old was later airlifted to Advocate Christ Medical Center, while the oldest girl and the youngest girl were flown to Comer Children’s Hospital.

The niece of Chavez-Renovato set up a fundraiser page to help with funeral expenses for both families and to transfer her uncle to Mexico for burial near his family.

“My biggest fear has always been losing someone close to me and it happened,” Jacqueline Flores wrote on the page. “I still can’t believe it. My family is hurting and I can’t do anything about it.”