Pickup Truck Crashes into INDOT Hoosier Helper Vehicle, Resulting in 1 Death
GARY, Ind. – One person died Friday morning after their pickup truck crashed into an Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Hoosier Helper vehicle.
The Indiana State Police reported that the incident occurred around 7 a.m. on I-80/94 eastbound, near the 7.7 mile marker. The Hoosier Helper vehicle was assisting a driver who was changing a flat tire on the right shoulder. The Hoosier Helper vehicle had its emergency lights activated. Despite this, a red 2008 Ford pickup truck rear-ended the parked Hoosier Helper vehicle. Investigators described the damage to the pickup truck as “catastrophic,” and the driver was trapped inside.
Police arrived at the scene and attempted to aid the driver of the pickup truck, but they were unresponsive. The Lake County Coroner was called to the scene, and the driver was pronounced dead. The driver’s identity has not been released.
The Hoosier Helper operator and the occupants of the disabled vehicle were not seriously injured, according to officials.
Investigators believe that driver impairment was a factor in the crash, based on evidence collected at the scene.
