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Last updated on Monday, February 9, 2015
(GARY) - An early morning crash on Sunday resulted in a car being split in two and three occupants dead.
According to an Indiana State Police report, at approximately 3:37 a.m. a 2010 Dodge Avenger, driven by 22-year-old Robert M. Hayes of Chicago, was traveling westbound on I-80/94 just east of Cline Avenue when he went to pass a semi that was in the right lane.
Hayes passed the semi, moved to the right lane, lost control when he went off the roadway onto the outer shoulder, hit the concrete barrier wall on the outer shoulder, flipped the Avenger on top of the barrier wall hitting a large support pole for the overhead sign that spans across both lanes for the Cline Avenue exit.
The impact split the car in two, causing the front driver's half of the Avenger to face west and the rest of the vehicle facing east. After the impact a small fire started and Good Samaritans who stopped at the scene put the fire out.
The impact threw a front seat passenger, 21-year-old Shaquita Kendrick of Harvey, Illinois, out of the Avenger and she came to rest just east of the Dodge. She was pronounced dead at the scene by a deputy with the Lake County's Coroner office of massive trauma.
A back seat passenger, Timothy Riley, also of Chicago, was trapped between the barrier wall and the Avenger and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second back seat passenger, 21-year-old William J.H. Burton of Calumet City, Illinois, was taken to North Lake Methodist Hospital in Gary where he was also pronounced dead of massive trauma.
The third back seat passenger, 22-year-old John Paul Misquez of Los Angeles, California, was taken to North Lake Hospital with internal injuries and was later transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Hayes was taken to North Lake Methodist Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Charges are pending after a review by the Lake County Prosecutor's office.
The right two lanes were closed for reconstruction of the crash, removal of the injured, deceased and vehicle, and clean-up of the roadway. The Indiana Department of Transportation was on scene to assess if any structural damage was done to the support pole for the overhead sign.
Assisting: Lake County Sheriff's Department, Lake County Coroner's office, Gary Fire and EMS, Indiana Department of Transportation, and Waffco Towing
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