Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper Lewis Phillips was killed in an automobile accident near Springville in LaPorte County while responding to assist another trooper who was pursuing a traffic violator. Trooper Phillips was traveling westbound on U.S. 20 when his patrol car crested a hill and was struck by a semitrailer whose driver was making an illegal U-turn and was blocking all four lanes of the roadway. The truck driver was charged with involuntary manslaughter, disobeying a traffic control device and having an inadequate log book. Trooper Phillips had served with the Indiana State Police for 11 months, being killed five days before completing his status as a probationary trooper and was assigned to the Dunes Park post. He had previously served as a weighman in the Motor Carrier Division for 11 months.
Survivors
Trooper Phillips was survived by his parents and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-5EA6445B- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Phillips gave the Indiana State Police 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Indiana. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Phillips.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper Lewis Edward Phillips is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Indiana State Police, 23 of 46 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Lewis Edward Phillips's cause is highlighted.
How Lewis Edward Phillips Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lewis Edward Phillips is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
45 officers from Indiana State Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
