INDIANAPOLIS – Troopers from the Indiana State Police are investigating two fatal crashes that occurred Friday evening.
At 5:25 p.m. dispatchers began receiving 911 calls about a serious crash on I-65 northbound at the 120.5 mile marker. Preliminary reports indicated two vehicles had collided and one of those vehicles, a black Lexus, then left the roadway into a wooded area.
A Hoosier Helper Driver was first on the scene and located an adult male who was unconscious and unresponsive. The Indianapolis Fire Department and EMS responded to the scene, despite life saving efforts the male was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists determined the black Lexus was traveling at a high rate of speed before colliding with another black passenger car. After the collision the black Lexus went off the road, rolled several times and came to rest in a wooded area. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the car. There were no other passengers in the vehicle.
Investigators do not believe roadway surface condition was a factor in this crash. The deceased driver was identified as 19-year-old Zachary Elson of Dayton Ohio. The northbound lanes of I-65 were closed for several hours while this crash was investigated.
Later that night emergency responders were called to the scene of a serious crash on I-465 eastbound near Emerson Avenue. At 11:28 p.m. 911 callers indicated a vehicle had struck the rear end of a semi and was stuck under the trailer.
When first responders arrived they located a vehicle fully engulfed in flames under the semi-trailer. Firefighters from the Indianapolis Fire Department extinguished the flames and with the help of Ward’s Towing, extricated the remains of an adult driver from the vehicle. There were no other occupants inside the car.
Preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists determined a semi had mechanical issues, the driver pulled the semi tractor-trailer off the roadway to the right shoulder and was waiting for a repair service to respond. The driver of an eastbound car ran off the road for unknown reasons and struck the rear end of the stationary trailer. The driver was entrapped in the car and the car caught fire. Investigators do not believe roadway surface condition was a factor in this crash.
The driver of the vehicle was preliminary identified and notification to family was made, however the Marion County Coroner’s Office will determine positive identification of the deceased before releasing the name.
Investigations for both accidents are ongoing.
