Indiana State Police and firefighter/paramedics responded about midnight Thursday/Friday to a crash involving two semi-trailer trucks and at least three cars on I-65 near State Route 43. Five people were killed Friday in the crash in Tippecanoe County north of Lafayette.
#BREAKING 5 people including a child killed in crash involving 2 semis and 3 cars. I-65 SB closed at US 231 for hours pic.twitter.com/aiwoM9CY8P
— Jenny Milkowski (@jennymilk) July 24, 2015
According to police, a semi-trailer tanker truck carrying food grade oil was going too fast through a construction area and hit a van, which sent the van off road. Another semi-trailer truck carrying frozen chicken was then hit by the first semi-trailer truck. A fire then started at the front of the semi-trailer tanker truck and the rear of the semi-trailer truck. Two adults and a child in the van were killed in the crash. The driver in another car and the driver of the semi-trailer tanker truck driver that caused the crash were also killed.
The semi-trailer tanker truck driver came in to an area of construction at a high speed and crashed into vehicles that were slowed or stopped for a construction zone.
I-65 southbound was closed at the 178 mile marker, near the exit for SR 42, and is expected to stay closed until noon Friday.
I-65 northbound was closed near the 175 mile marker and the exit for SR 25, and re-opened about 6:30 a.m.
Indiana State police were detouring traffic off of I-65 to US 231, to US 52 EB, and then back to I-65.
The semi-trailer tanker truck oil was pumped into another truck tanker.
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