Jogger dies in Lafayette crash

Jonathan Beard, 31, died after a pickup truck struck him Thursday evening in Lafayette.

Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene near the intersection of Piney Grove Drive and East 300 North just after 6 p.m. The agency reported that a 2016 Ford F-150 traveling west hit Beard as he jogged west near the fog line.

Ned Slate, 84, drove the truck. He told deputies that headlights from oncoming eastbound traffic made it hard to see the pedestrian. The impact threw Beard off the road. Emergency crews transported him to IU Health Arnett Hospital, where staff pronounced him dead.

Carrie Costello, the Tippecanoe County Coroner, performed a forensic autopsy on Friday. She determined that Beard died from multiple blunt force injuries. The coroner’s office classified the death as an accident.

Toxicology results are still pending and may take six to eight weeks to return. The sheriff’s office is continuing its investigation into the crash. Officials said they do not currently suspect alcohol or drug impairment played a role in the collision.