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From an Indiana State Police press statement:
Indiana State Trooper Sandra Sherer investigated two separate crashes on the Toll Road that occurred within one minute and 2/10th of mile from each other that resulted in two deaths. The first crash occurred approximately 9:51 a.m., west bound on I-90 at the 29.4 mile marker (this is approximately 1 mile west of State Road 49). Preliminary investigation revealed that a 2007 Peterbuilt semi was westbound when it pulled over and parked on the outer shoulder due to the number of crashes with lane blockage that were up ahead. A 2009 Freightliner semi was westbound in the right lane when the driver saw the Peterbuilt parked on the outer shoulder and began to brake. This caused the Freightliner to slide and jack-knife. The moving truck's trailer swung around and hit the back of the parked truck's trailer. A third semi, a 2005 Freightliner, was westbound in the right lane when it moved to the left to avoid a car in front of it. The driver lost control went into the median came back out and struck the jacknifed trailer and then stopped on the inner shoulder. A 2004 Ford Taurus was also westbound in the right lane when it hit the rear of the jacknifed truck. The driver of the Taurus, John Liefbrower., 69 of Chesterton was pronounced dead at Porter Hospital in Valparaiso from blunt force trauma. Indiana State Police damage estimates and identification of the drivers of the three trucks: Vehicle #1: 2007 Peterbilt semi-box-trailer, owned by Carolina Tank Lines out of Burlington, North Carolina. There was no load loss. Approximate damage $500. Driver #1: Randall Van Smith, 56 of Wilmington, North Carolina. He was not injured. Vehicle #2: 2009 Freightliner semi-box trailer, owned by Martin Transportation Limited out of Zionsville, Illinois. There was no load loss. Approximate damage $10,000. Driver #2: Ivy Davis, 36 of Buckeye Lake, Ohio. She was not injured. Vehicle #3: 2005 Freightliner semi-box trailer, owned by Badger Federal Services out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. There was no load loss. Approximate damage $2,000. Driver #3: Roger J. Laux, 57 of Lecho, Wisconsin. He was not injured. The 2004 Ford Taurus was a total loss. Second Fatal Crash: The second crash occurred at approximately 9:52 a.m., west bound at the 29.6 mile marker. Preliminary investigation revealed that a 2007 Kenworth was westbound in the right lane when it moved to the outer shoulder due to traffic slowing/stopping traffic up ahead. The truck was stopping when a 2002 International hit it in the rear causing the Kenworth to jack-knife and go into the ditch on the north side of the road. This caused the steel bars that it was hauling to break free and land in the north ditch. At the same time a 1996 Kenworth was in the left lane when it was hit in the passenger side by the by the International as it bounced off the first truck. A 2007 Chevrolet Impala was in the right lane when it hit the rear of the the International's trailer. The passenger in the Impala, Paul Shrewsbury, 70, of Elkhart, Indiana was pronounced dead at the scene from blunt force trauma to the head. Indiana State Police damage estimates and identification of the drivers of the three trucks: Vehicle #1: 2007 Kenworth semi-flat bed, owned by Melton Truck Lines out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Load loss of approximately 30,000 pounds in steel bars. Approximate damage $5,000. Driver #1: Leroy T. Millner Jr., 45 of Seaford, Virginia. He was not injured. Vehicle #2: 2002 International semi-box trailer, owned by Kohel Interstate Transportation out of Marion, Wisconsin. No load loss. Approximate damage $100,000. Driver #2: Todd Stoehr, 47 of Clintonville, Wisconsin. He was not injured. Vehicle #3: 1996 Kenworth semi-dump trailer, owned by ECBM Inc. out of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. No load was loss. Approximate damage $5,000. Driver #3: Robert W. Lambrix, 34 of Carleton, Maine. He was not injured. The 2007 Chevrolet Impala. Vehicle was a total loss. The driver of the Impala, Lawrence E. Pratt, 69 of Granger, Indiana, was taken to Porter Hospital in Valparaiso with complaint of pain to his chest. The west bound lanes of traffic were closed and traffic was diverted off at State Road 49 for approximately five hours. All lanes of traffic are now opened. -------------- From the Associated Press: The National Weather Service said lake-effect snow and winds combined to create near-blizzard conditions. As many as 25 vehicles were involved in the Toll Road pileups just west of the Chesterton exit. Don Parker of Wanatah, one of the drivers involved in the pileup, said the roadway became "like glass" and that vehicles began fishtailing when they slowed to avoid others in front of them. "People weren't even going that fast. Back east of us the road was almost completely clear," said Parker, who braked to avoid a semitrailer that had begun to swerve in front of him and wound up skidding sideways into the back of the trailer. State police handled dozens of crashes, including a six-car pileup in westbound lanes of Interstate 80-94 in Lake County that slowed traffic to a crawl, State Police Sgt. Ann Wojas said. Road conditions deteriorated steadily after snowfall began around midnight Tuesday, she said. More than 3 inches of snow had fallen by midday in some parts of northwestern Indiana, with southern Lake and Porter counties receiving the deepest accumulations, according to the weather service. The weather service posted a winter storm warning through Wednesday night for part of the region. It also issued a wind chill warning through noon Friday with lows approaching 20 below in some areas Friday morning. The public was being asked not to call the Lowell Post for road and weather conditions to keep the telephone lines open for emergencies. That information is available at the ISP Road and Weather Hot Line at (800) 261-7623 or at www.in.gov/isp Motorists were being urged to reduce their speed, be aware of sudden stops, keep an adequate distance between vehicles, and hang up cell phones and pay attention to the road. Motorists were also reminded to move over and slow down when approaching emergency vehicles parked on the shoulder.
Posted 1/14/2009
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