DEARBORN COUNTY – On Friday, July 3, 2026, Troopers from the Indiana State Police-Versailles Post investigated a two-vehicle fatal crash on State Road 46 in northern Dearborn County, Indiana.
The initial investigation by Master Trooper Ben Bastin determined that at approximately 8:00 am, a 2018 Dodge Caravan, driven by George R. Dever, age 87, Sunman, Indiana, was traveling northbound on Lawrenceville Road at State Road 46, near Sunman, in northern Dearborn County. The evidence indicated that Dever’s vehicle entered State Road 46 into the path of a 2021 Ford F-450, driven by Wyatt C. Kruthaupt, 18, of Batesville, Indiana.
The front of Kruthaupt’s vehicle struck the driver’s side of Dever’s vehicle. Dever sustained fatal injuries in the crash. He was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Dearborn County Coroner’s Office. A passenger in Kruthaupt’s vehicle, James Sterwerf, 66, of Milan, Indiana, sustained serious injuries. He was flown by a medical helicopter for treatment of serious injuries.
The investigation remains ongoing. Toxicology results are pending.
George Dever’s family has been notified.
Troopers from the ISP-Versailles Post were assisted by Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists, Motor Carrier Inspectors with the ISP-Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, Dearborn County Sheriff’s Department, Sunman Fire Department and EMS, St. Leon Fire Department, Bright EMS, Dearborn County Coroner’s Office, and the Indiana Department of Transportation.
