Update: fatal crash in Newton County

The Newton County Sheriff's Department responded to a fatal single-vehicle crash at around 4:09 a.m. this morning in Newton County.

Police said the driver and only occupant of the van, 68-year-old Dennis P. Oster, was northbound on US 41 when he entered the median for an unknown reason.  Police believe Oster overcorrected and sent his vehicle into a sideways slide across the northbound lane.

Police said that as the vehicle left the roadway it struck an earth embankment and rolled over, coming to rest on its roof.

Police said Oster was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. He had to be extricated from the vehicle by the Morocco Fire Department.

Oster succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the crash prior to being transported to medical attention, police said.

Police said family members told them that Oster was on his way to a local hospital for dialysis at the time of the crash.

Police do not believe alcohol was a factor. The Newton County Emergency Management Service and the Lake Township Fire Departments assisted the Newton County Sheriff's Department in responding to the scene.