Mom, son killed after trailer detaches from semi in Northwest Indiana

LaPORTE COUNTY, Ind. — A Northwest Indiana mother and son were killed Tuesday after a trailer detached from a semi on a highway, crashing into them.

Just before 7:50 a.m., authorities responded to the 6300 block of West US 30 on the report of a crash involving a semi and a passenger vehicle.

Police believe a 2019 Mack semi-truck, driven by David Sutton, 47, of Fulton, was pulling a white trailer. Sutton had just exited a truck stop and was beginning to travel eastbound on US 30.

At some point, the trailer separated from the semi and struck a black 2022 Kia. Angela Oehmen, 36, of Wanatah, and her son, Joseph Oehmen, 14, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Another juvenile in the vehicle was transported to a local hospital with an upper body injury.

Oehmen was a student at South Central High School. In a letter to parents, the principal said “our students and school community are saddened by this loss and struggling to comprehend.”

Sutton was not injured as a result of the incident.