Driver in Ivy Tech crash is identified

A 21-year-old man who was badly injured Thursday morning when his car struck a light pole on Ivy Tech’s campus has been identified, Fort Wayne police said.

Jose D. Baca of Akron, Ind., was headed south on St. Joe Road in a 1997 Cadillac. He was about to turn right into Canterbury Green Apartments when the car accelerated and left the road, striking trees and a large rock, police said.

The car then came back onto St. Joe Road, crossed all lanes and sped into a parking lot on Ivy Tech's north campus, where it slammed into the light pole, police said.

First responders were dispatched about 11:40 a.m. to the lot near St. Joe and Stellhorn roads in northeast Fort Wayne. Medics took Baca to a hospital in serious condition. He was later downgraded to critical condition.

Baca was wearing a seat belt, police said.

Investigators have said they believe he might have suffered from a medical condition that contributed to the crash.