PUTNAM COUNTY- The Indiana State Police are investigating a morning crash between a pickup truck and a semi tractor-trailer near the thirty-five-mile marker on Interstate 70 westbound that claimed the life of one individual.
A preliminary investigation by Sergeant Matt Ames indicated that traffic was slow/stopped in the area due to an earlier accident on Interstate 70 at the 30-mile marker westbound. Traffic was reduced to one lane. At approximately 10:30 a.m., a 2023 Freightliner semi-tractor trailer driven by Bhagwant Singh, 49, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was traveling westbound on Interstate 70 in the passing lane near the 35-mile marker. The hazard lights of the semi were activated because of slow/stopped traffic. Singh was stopped when he felt an impact in the rear of his semi. A 2016 Nissan pickup truck was traveling westbound in the passing lane behind the semi and failed to observe slowed/stopped traffic, running into the rear of Singh’s semi-tractor trailer. The driver of the pickup truck, Norma Rivera, 54, of New Castle, Delaware, succumbed to injuries at the scene of the accident. She was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Putnam County Coroner’s Office. Two passengers in the pickup truck, an adult male and a child, were transported via air ambulance to local hospitals in Indianapolis with non-life-threatening injuries. Â
Drugs and alcohol are not believed to be a contributing factor of the accident.
Assisting Agencies: Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, Putnam County Emergency Medical Service, Cloverdale Fire Department, Putnam County Coroner’s Office, Curtis Wrecker Service.
