At 9:50 a.m. Saturday, Indiana State Police dispatchers began receiving 911 calls about a serious crash involving at least two semis on I-70 near SR 267 in Plainfield. When first responders arrived they located three semis with damage and one passenger vehicle. A driver of one of the semis was unresponsive, he was pronounced deceased on the scene. Another semi driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the passenger car received minor injuries.
Preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists determined the driver of an eastbound semi-tractor trailer lost control in a construction cross-over, jackknifed and crashed through the concrete barrier wall. A westbound semi-tractor trailer then struck the jackknifed semi head-on. A trailer being pulled by a third semi-tractor received minor damage and a passenger car got caught up in the wreckage.
All lanes of westbound I-70 were closed and remain closed at this time. The eastbound lanes were also closed for a short time, however one eastbound lane is open at this time. Emergency personnel on scene expect the westbound lanes to be closed for several more hours for clean-up.
The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, there was heavy rain in the area at the time of the collision that could have contributed.