A Griffith motorist died Tuesday in a two vehicle accident on I-80 and two of his passengers were seriously injured, the Indiana State Police said.

The victim was identified as Joshua Garner, 20.

According to police, at 4:59 p.m. Garner, driving a 1998 Dodge Dakota extended cab pickup, was westbound on I-80 at the 12.8 mile marker—just west of Central Ave.—when he changed lanes and rear ended a moving van disabled in the middle right lane.

Garner was pronounced dead at the scene by the Lake County Coroner’s Office, police said.

Seriously injured and needing extrication were two of Garner’s passengers: Katherine A. Metzcus, 17, of Lansing, Ill., who was transported to North Lake Methodist Hospital in Gary; and Eugene McCall, 20, also of Lansing, who was transported to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., police said.

Garner’s other two passengers sustained non-life threatening injuries: Amber Garner, 19, of Griffith; and Keith Halicky, 18, Thornton, Ill.

“Alcohol is believed to be a factor in this crash,” police said.

The disabled moving van was owned by Vesco Movers Inc. d/b/a Two Men and A Truck out of Osceola, Ind. Its driver, DeAndre K. Perry, 22, of Mishawaka, advised police that he had been westbound when the engine light activated and shortly thereafter it became disabled.

Police said that the moving van’s four-way emergency lights were activated at the time of the crash.

All lanes of westbound I-80 were closed for the landing of the air ambulance and then for cleanup and reconstruction, police said. All lanes were re-opened around 7:15 p.m.

Posted 6/13/2012