DeKalb head-on crash victim, 40, dies

A 40-year-old man injured in a two-vehicle crash early Wednesday southwest of Butler has died, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department said.

Clemente Fuentes was driving north on County Road 61 in a 1997 Ford Aerostar van about 1 a.m. A 2000 Ford Explorer going the other way crossed the centerline while taking a curve and hit the van head-on, south of County Road 42.

Rescue workers extricated Fuentes from the van, and he was flown by helicopter to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne.

Fuentes, from Butler, suffered internal injuries and leg fractures. He was listed in critical condition and later died.

Ryan Farrell, 25, of Auburn was driving the Explorer. He received minor cuts from glass and was treated at DeKalb Health in Auburn.

Both vehicles were totaled. The crash is under investigation.