A bicyclist was
struck by a semi-tractor trailer on Ind. 49 on Saturday and killed, Porter
County Coroner Chuck Harris is reporting.
The victim was
identified as David A. Jones, 24, of Chesterton.
At 5:12 a.m. Jones
was bicycling eastbound on East Porter Ave. when he attempted to cross Ind.
49 and was hit by the semi.
Jones was
pronounced dead at the scene of blunt force injuries, Harris said. Results
of a routine toxicology screen on both Jones and the trucker are pending,
Harris added.
Chesterton Police
Chief Dave Cincoski identified the trucker as Neil Applen, 65, of Rochester,
Minn., who advised investigators that he had a green light at the time of
the accident and estimated his speed at approximately 40 miles per hour.
Applen stated that
he realized that he’d struck something and then saw a person and a bicycle
in the roadway. Cincoski told the Chesterton Tribune that Applen was
able to come to a complete, controlled stop 270 feet south of the
intersection. Applen, an independent owner/operator, was not injured.
Chesterton Fire
Department Capt. Aimee Gilbert said that it had begun to snow fairly heavily
when the crash occurred but that there hadn’t yet been any significant
accumulation.