Woman injured in crash on I-65

A North Carolina woman was transported by LifeLine helicopter to Indianapolis after her vehicle rolled multiple times in the southbound lanes of Interstate 65.

A seven-mile stretch of the interstate’s southbound traffic was at a standstill for about 45 minutes while the woman’s older model Honda Civic was removed from the center of the travel lanes, according to Indiana State Police Detective Rob Simpson.

Lizette Diaz, 24, who resides in the coastal community of Jacksonville near Camp Lejeune in southeast North Carolina, was alone in the vehicle, Simpson said.

While Diaz was flown from the Driftwood River bridge 35 minutes after the accident was reported, she was conscious and alert when first responders arrived, the detective said.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]

After complaining of severe abdominal pain, she was taken to an unidentified hospital in Indianapolis, Simpson said.

The accident was reported before 5 p.m. just north of the State Road 46 interchange near the bridge over the Driftwood River.

Witnesses said Diaz’s car rolled five to nine times while traveling southbound at interstate speeds, according to Simpson.

Investigators are still trying to determine why the car went out of control.

The car was loaded with several of the woman’s possessions, including a moped in the backseat, according to Simpson.

“With all those items in there, she’s extremely lucky she wasn’t killed,” Simpson said.

Utilizing a police dog, K-9 officers searched the river bank area under the bridge to pick up items that belonged to Diaz.

One lane of southbound I-65 reopened about 6 p.m. and the other lane reopened shortly after that, according to Indiana State Police.