MUNCIE, Ind. — The widow of Delaware County Sheriff’s Corporal Blake Reynolds has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against two semi-truck drivers, their employers, and the owner of one of the rigs, three months after the 33-year-old deputy was killed while helping a stranded motorist on Interstate 69.
The lawsuit claims both drivers were fatigued, distracted, and driving too fast for conditions when the chain-reaction crash happened on November 12, 2025.
What Happened That Night
Just after 10 p.m., Reynolds stopped to assist a semi that had pulled partially onto the shoulder near the 241 mile marker south of Muncie. The truck, driven by a 53-year-old man from Georgia, was blocking part of the right lane.
Reynolds parked his fully marked Dodge Durango behind it with emergency lights flashing.
Minutes later, a second semi driven by a 39-year-old New Haven man came barreling northbound, lost control, and slammed into the parked truck and Reynolds’ patrol vehicle. The impact crushed the deputy between the vehicles. He died at the scene.
Indiana State Police say speed and road conditions appear to be factors. No charges have been filed yet, but the crash remains under investigation.
The Allegations in Court Papers
Filed February 6 in Delaware County Circuit Court, the lawsuit paints a picture of preventable tragedy.
The first driver is accused of stopping unsafely on the interstate while “fatigued, inattentive and distracted,” creating a deadly hazard.
The second driver faces even sharper claims: failing to slow down for emergency lights, failing to brake, failing to steer away, and operating his truck while exhausted and distracted.
Both men worked for out-of-state trucking companies named as defendants, along with the owner of the Georgia man’s tractor-trailer.
“Reynolds was doing exactly what the public expects of its officers — putting his life on the line to help someone,” the family’s attorney, Matt Marino of Indianapolis, told reporters Friday. “Two tired truck drivers took that life because they weren’t paying attention.”
A Young Family Left Behind
Blake and Kayla Reynolds had been married eight years. They have three children, all under age 10.
Friends describe Blake as the guy who never met a stranger, who coached his kids’ sports teams, and who always stopped to help anyone broken down on the side of the road — long before he ever put on the uniform.
“He died doing what he loved, serving people,” Kayla Reynolds said in her only public statement since the crash. “But my kids will grow up without their dad because two companies and two drivers put profit ahead of safety.”
Bigger Than One Family’s Pain
Eleven law enforcement officers have died in traffic-related incidents nationwide so far in 2026, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Four of them were struck while outside their vehicles.
Commercial truck crashes killed 5,837 people in the U.S. in 2023, the latest federal figures available. Driver fatigue remains one of the top causes cited by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In Indiana alone, state police have responded to more than 180 crashes involving semis on I-69 in the past 14 months.
Community Still Hurting
Thousands lined the streets of Muncie for Reynolds’ funeral procession in November. His name was added to the Indiana Law Enforcement Memorial last month.
Now his family is asking a jury to hold someone accountable.
No trial date has been set. The trucking companies have not yet responded in court.
Blake Reynolds served Delaware County for nine years. He was 33.
His widow says the lawsuit isn’t about money — though it seeks unspecified damages for loss of love, companionship, and the future he was supposed to have with his kids.
It’s about making sure no other family buries their hero because a truck driver was too tired to stay between the lines.
Tell us what you think about this case in the comments. If you’re sharing on social media, use #JusticeForBlake — it’s trending across Indiana tonight.
