Austin Palmateer Valparaiso, IN Car Accident: 24-Year-Old Austin Palmateer dies in Deadly Salt Creek Collision in Valparaiso

 The Valparaiso community is grieving the devastating loss of 24-year-old Austin Palmateer, who tragically died in a single-vehicle accident on Wednesday, November 26, 2025. The sorrowful event took place close to the intersection of County Road 700 N and State Road 149, leaving family members, friends, and neighbors heartbroken.

Austin Palmateer

As stated by the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, officers were called to the scene around 8:12 a.m. after receiving notifications of a car that had gone underwater. Upon their arrival, emergency personnel discovered a 2002 Kia submerged in Salt Creek. Austin, who was the only person in the vehicle, was located outside the car in the water and was declared dead at the scene despite immediate rescue attempts.

Initial reports from investigators suggest that Austin’s vehicle was heading east on County Road 700 N when, for undetermined reasons, it left the road and entered Salt Creek to the north. The car was entirely submerged by the time law enforcement arrived. Officials from the Porter County Coroner’s Office verified Austin’s identity and indicated that autopsy and toxicology analyses are pending as part of the ongoing inquiry.

The abrupt and tragic loss of Austin has plunged the Valparaiso community into profound grief. Those who loved him characterize him as a kind and considerate young man whose positivity and warmth touched the lives of everyone he met. Although his life ended far too early, the memories of his time here are now treasured even more deeply following this heartbreaking event.

The Porter County Sheriff’s Office is actively working to understand the events that led to the crash, underlining the need for careful driving in the vicinity of waterways and other potentially dangerous locations. Investigators are hopeful that the upcoming reports will provide further clarity on how the vehicle left the roadway.