LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Boilermaker Special crashed just before 4 p.m. Thursday, colliding with a southbound car on U.S. 52, killing the car’s driver, according to the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office.

Tippecanoe County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Terry Ruley confirmed the fatal crash.

The Boilermaker Special, Purdue’s official mascot, was northbound on U.S. 52 when for unknown reasons, it crossed the median and collided with a southbound car, Ruley said. The woman driving the passenger car was killed, Ruley said.

Lyndsay Lehr, a Stockwell resident, said while driving on U.S. 52, she witnessed the accident in her rearview mirror and called 911. Lehr said she watched the Boilermaker Special blow a tire before it crossed over the median, plowing directly into the car behind her.

Ruley could not confirm that a tire on the Boilermaker Special blew.

Two people in the Boilermaker Special were not seriously injured and were taken to a local hospital to be checked as a precaution, Ruley said.

Purdue University spokesman Trevor Peters said, “We can confirm our Boilermaker Special was involved in a serious multi-vehicle accident in Tippecanoe County this afternoon. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the incident.”

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: One dead after crash with Boilermaker Special on U.S. 52