TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) — A West Lafayette man was drunk during a crash that critically injured a motorcyclist Monday evening, according to the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Office. Deputies said the man then left the scene.
Police arrested 22-year-old Joshua Freshour. Capt. Robert Hainje said he and his cousin, 22-year-old Christian Gross of Monticello, were at a bar in the Delphi area prior to the crash.
According to Hainje, a semi driver traveling south on State Road 25 North said he was passed by a car and a motorcycle. The semi driver said he was going approximately 60 miles per hour.
Hainje said about 6:25 p.m. the motorcycle, driven by Gross, and car, driven by Freshour, somehow came into contact with one another in the 3800 block of State Road 25 North. That's near Buck Creek.
The motorcycle wobbled and lost control, throwing Gross, according to Hainje.
Before police arrived, deputies said Freshour fled the crash toward Lafayette and left his cousin critically injured at the scene. Gross was airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
Police said while they were investigating the scene, Freshour returned. A breath test revealed Freshour had a blood alcohol content .12 percent, according to Hainje.
Freshour was arrested on preliminary charges for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, OWI endangerment and OWI with .10 percent or more BAC causing serious bodily injury.
Deputies said Gross was not wearing a helmet during the crash.
Gross was originally listed in critical condition, but his injuries are no longer life-threatening, according to Hainje.
