An Ohio man was killed and several other people were injured in a crash involving four vehicles on the Indiana Toll Road.
Indiana State Police and emergency personnel were called to the westbound lanes at the 85 mile marker around 1 p.m. on Friday, July 15, on the report of a crash, according to Indiana State Police.
Traffic had come to a standstill in the area due to construction zone traffic and two crashes that had recently happened., according to state police crash re-constructionists.
A Toll Road maintenance vehicle was positioned near the 87 mile marker warning drivers of the traffic conditions ahead.
At the time of the crash, an Alabama man driving a semi was stopped in the westbound driving lane due to traffic congestion.
A 69-year-old Ohio man and his front seat passenger, Dennis Caslin 73, of Ohio, were stopped in an SUV behind the semi. A third vehicle driven by a Massachusetts man was also stopped in the road.
An Illinois man driving a semi was traveling in the driving lane at highway speeds as he approached the stopped traffic, according to Indiana State Police.
The driver of the approaching semi did not slow down as he neared the congestion and slammed into the stopped traffic. The force of the crash sent the trailer and the vehicle into the back of the car driven by the Ohio man. The chain reaction crash continued as the Ohio man’s vehicle collided with the semi in front, according to Indiana State Police.
All four vehicles came to a final rest in the center median.
Caslin was taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver of the vehicle Caslin was riding in was also taken to Memorial Hospital and treated for lacerations. A woman riding in one of the vehicles was treated for a head injury and lacerations at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. The Illinois man who police say crashed into the other vehicles received minor injuries.
The west bound lanes of the toll road were closed for about three hours after the collision. Traffic was detoured at the Elkhart exit at mile marker 92.
This crash remains under investigation by the Indiana State Police.
The crash report and investigation will be submitted to the St. Joseph County Prosecutors Office after completion for review.
