INDIANA — At least three people were injured following a series of crashes on Interstate 74 in Decatur County on Monday afternoon, according to the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department said its communications center received several calls regarding a crash on I-74 eastbound around 3:30 p.m. June 1.
When deputies arrived, they found two pickup trucks, including one towing a camper trailer, in the median. The camper trailer had overturned onto its side and traffic had come to a standstill.
According to investigators, the first vehicle was traveling in the left lane when it drifted into the right lane. A second vehicle was forced from the right lane into the emergency lane. The first vehicle then struck the camper trailer, causing the second vehicle and trailer to spin into the travel lanes and trapping the first vehicle between the second vehicle and the trailer.
Authorities said the vehicles and trailer then entered the median and struck a cable barrier, causing the camper trailer to overturn.
The driver of the second vehicle had to be extricated from the wreckage. He was transported to Decatur County Memorial Hospital before being flown to IU Methodist Hospital. His condition has not been released.
The driver of the first vehicle was taken to Decatur County Memorial Hospital with minor injuries and was later released.
The initial crash also led to significant traffic backups, which authorities said contributed to two additional crashes.
In one of those incidents, a semi-truck and trailer were stopped in traffic in the right lane when a pickup truck struck the rear of the trailer at a high rate of speed. Investigators believe the crash was caused by driver distraction and a failure to observe stopped traffic in time.
A separate collision involving two emergency vehicles also occurred during the response. One first responder sustained minor injuries.
Interstate 74 was closed for approximately four hours while emergency crews responded to the crashes and cleared the scene.
