GARY – The Indiana State Police Lowell Crash Reconstruction Unit responded to I-80 westbound 5.7 mile-marker for a crash that involved a police pursuit.
Preliminary investigation shows that at approximately 11:32 a.m., the Lake County Sheriff’s Department was engaged in a pursuit of a 2010 Audi A5.
During the pursuit, the driver of the Audi lost control of the vehicle and rear ended a semi-trailer in the right lane. After striking the trailer, the Audi spun across all lanes and drove into the median wall. After hitting the wall, the Audi then continued back across the lanes in front of the same semi that it had rear-ended and was struck on the passenger side by the front of the semi. The Audi came to a final rest wedged under the front bumper of the semi.
At some point during the initial impact with the trailer, an adult female passenger suffered fatal injuries and was ejected from the vehicle. A small child who was in a car seat on the rear passenger side of the Audi also suffered fatal injuries. As a result of the extensive crime scene, all lanes were blocked for the investigation.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Department will be handling all charges related to this criminal investigation and the Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit will only be investigating the crash. Questions regarding the reason for the pursuit, officers involved, and the suspect/driver information will be addressed by the Lake County Sheriff’s Department.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office will be handling notification to next of kin of the deceased and will release that information once completed.
Assisting at the scene were the following: Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Gary Police Department, Gary Fire Department, INDOT, Hoosier Helpers, WAFFCO Towing/Recovery, and the Lake County Coroner.
