Jasper County- On Monday, Aug 4th, at approximately 10:00 p.m., troopers responded to a multi-vehicle crash on I-65 southbound lanes at the 218 mile-marker. This location is two miles south of the Fair Oaks exit and three miles north of Rensselaer. Preliminary investigation shows that traffic on I-65 was slowed for construction that was taking place in the area.
A red bobtail tractor was stopped in traffic in the right lane when a blue semi-truck/trailer approached from behind at a high rate of speed. In an attempt to avoid a collision with the stopped red bobtail tractor, the driver of the blue semi took evasive action by swerving into the median, where the truck struck a cable barrier. Following closely behind the blue semi, another semi-truck/trailer—also traveling at high speed—was unable to stop in time and collided with the rear of the stationary red bobtail tractor. The impact caused both the red bobtail tractor and the semi-truck/trailer to catch fire. The driver of the semi-truck/trailer was trapped inside the vehicle and died at the scene. The driver has not yet been identified. The driver of the red bobtail tractor managed to escape the vehicle before it was fully engulfed in flames.
As a result of the crash, all southbound lanes of I-65 were blocked, and the interstate had to be shut down for crash investigation and vehicle removal. During the scene cleanup, the contents of one of the trucks, peat moss, continued to catch on fire hindering the cleanup process. Due to the fire, the roadway surface sustained significant damage and will need to be replaced before the roadway reopens. As of the writing of this news release, 12:00 p.m. CST, the roadway remains closed with traffic being diverted at S.R. 14 (exit 220). Motorists are encouraged to seek alternative routes, those routes being S.R. 55, U.S. 41 or U.S. 231.
*Updates as to the roadway status will be posted to @ISPLowell2 and @INDOTNorthwest social media sites (X and Facebook).