An Evansville man was sentenced on Thursday, September 17, 2026, to 22 years for a head-on crash on State Road 66 near Reo in Spencer County that killed two people and seriously injured a third, according to 14 News[1]. The crash happened on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Tristatehomepage[2] also reported the sentencing. The sentencing details reported by 14 News were attributed to the Spencer County Prosecutor's Office.
According to 14 News, Lindsey Baxter, 30, of Evansville, was driving westbound on State Road 66 in a 2019 Chevrolet Colorado when he crossed the centerline and struck the victims' vehicle head-on. Toxicology showed a significant quantity of fentanyl in his blood, and Narcan cartridges were found in his truck.
The two people killed were Larry R. Lindsey, 54, of Rockport, Indiana, and Barry Morris, 64, of Whitesville, Kentucky. A third person, a passenger from Owensboro, Kentucky, was taken to an Indianapolis hospital with serious bodily injury. That passenger has not been named.
According to 14 News, Baxter was convicted of operating a vehicle with a Schedule I or II controlled substance causing death and causing serious bodily injury. His sentence consists of 15 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, three years of home detention and four years of supervised probation, for a total of 22 years. The court also imposed a 10-year driver's license suspension.
What accident victims should do next
A criminal sentence closes the criminal case, but it does not compensate the families of the people who died or the person who was hurt. Civil wrongful death and injury claims remain separate. A conviction can provide important evidence, but insurance companies may still aggressively defend questions about coverage and damages.
Identifying every available policy matters. Indiana requires minimum auto liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury under Ind. Code 9-25-4-5. Those limits may be inadequate after a crash involving two deaths and serious bodily injury. Underinsured motorist coverage, which Indiana insurers must offer under Ind. Code 27-7-5-2, may provide another source of recovery depending on the policy. More information is available in the firm's guide to Indiana underinsured motorist coverage.
The civil deadlines run from the crash or death, not from the later sentencing. Families and injured people should preserve insurance policies, medical records, wage information and correspondence. The firm's guide to evidence after an Indiana car accident explains why organized records matter.
Why location matters in Indiana injury claims
The crash happened on State Road 66 near Reo, in the Rockport area of Spencer County, and the Spencer County Prosecutor's Office handled the criminal case. A civil claim arising from the crash would ordinarily be filed in the Spencer County courts in Rockport. Two of the three victims lived in Kentucky. That does not change where an Indiana crash claim is ordinarily filed, but it can affect which insurance policies and coverage rules apply to the victims' own policies.
A wrongful death claim for an adult is brought by the personal representative of the estate under Ind. Code 34-23-1-1, with Ind. Code 34-23-1-2 governing the death of an adult without dependents. Those claims, and the injured passenger's personal injury claim, generally must be filed within two years under Ind. Code 34-11-2-4. For a March 24, 2026 crash, that deadline falls on or about March 24, 2028. Families can review additional information about Indiana wrongful death claims.
Indiana's Comparative Fault Act, Ind. Code 34-51-2-6, generally bars recovery when an injured person is more than 50 percent at fault. Otherwise, recovery is reduced by that person's percentage of fault. Nothing in the reporting suggests fault by the people in the vehicle that was struck, but civil responsibility is determined through the evidence and legal process.
Because the reported impairment involved a controlled substance rather than alcohol, Indiana's dram shop statute, Ind. Code 7.1-5-10-15.5, does not appear to apply to the reported facts. State Road 66 is a state highway, but the published accounts do not suggest a road defect or government involvement. On the reported facts, the notice deadline under Ind. Code 34-13-3-6 does not appear to be implicated.
How Delventhal Law Office can help
Delventhal Law Office, LLC is a Fort Wayne personal injury firm founded by attorney Chad E. Delventhal in 2009. The firm represents people hurt by carelessness on Indiana roads, including families who have lost a loved one to an impaired driver. Chad Delventhal can review how a criminal conviction may support a separate civil claim, identify potential liability and underinsured motorist policies, and explain the deadlines that run from the crash or death.
You can request a free case evaluation to discuss an Indiana crash claim with Delventhal Law Office.
This post is based on public reporting, the investigation may be ongoing, and nothing here is legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship.
