A Midlothian, Ill., man is facing charges from three separate law enforcement agencies following a crash on I-80 early this morning, the Indiana State Police said.

According to the ISP, Douglas R. Schroeder, 28, is being charged by the ISP with operating while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a property-damage crash, while Hammond Police are preparing to charge him in connection with attempted carjacking and Griffith Police with possession of cocaine.

The incident began at 2:39 a.m., the ISP said, when Schroeder merged onto westbound I-80 from the northbound Cline Ave. ramp, cut across the so-called “gore area”—the solid white striped lines separating the ramp from the interstate—crossed two westbound lanes, and hit a semi-tractor box trailer westbound in the right center lane.

Schroeder’s 1995 Chevrolet Monte Carlo went under the trailer, the ISP said, causing the semi’s driver to lose control and his rig to jackknife. The 2008 Peterbilt struck the concrete barrier wall—knocking a chunk of concrete 3’ x 3’ from the wall—and then the tractor rolled onto its driver’s side. The trucker, Jose L. Zauala, 56, of El Paso, Texas, managed to escape the semi uninjured, the ISP said.

Meanwhile, troopers responding to the scene found a “highly intoxicated and incoherent female”—Schroeder’s passenger—“lying in a pool of motor oil not far from the Chevrolet,” the ISP said. She was transported to Munster Community Hospital and was still there “due to her high state of intoxication.”

Schroeder, for his part, was seen by a witness fleeing the scene on foot, heading south across both the west- and eastbound lanes of I-80, then hopping a fence line and trying to carjack at least two vehicles near a business “using physical force,” the ISP said.

Schroeder was subsequently apprehended by Griffith Police but as he was exiting the GPD squad car “an illegal drug fell out of his pocket,” the ISP said, and that drug field-tested positive for cocaine.

Schroeder was later transported to Munster Community Hospital, where he refused treatment for scrapes and abrasions, police said. Schroeder—who was issued citations for driving while suspended-infraction and unsafe lane movement—was then transported to Lake County Jail, the ISP said.

The Monte Carlo and the Peterbilt were both a total loss.

Three of the four westbound lanes of I-80 were closed until 4:30 a.m. for investigation and cleanup.

Posted 7/28/2010