A Bloomington, Ill., motorist died late Friday or early Saturday after colliding with the Pavilion in the east beach parking lot at Indiana Dunes State Park, DNR Law Enforcement said.

The victim was identified as Hudson Evans, 23.

A visitor to the park found Evans dead in the wreckage of his Honda Civic at approximately 6 a.m. on Saturday. The DNR said that the accident occurred sometime after 11:30 p.m. on Friday.

Porter County Coroner Vicki Deppe told the Chesterton Tribune today that Evans died of multiple blunt force trauma. The results of a routine toxicology screen are pending.

Evans struck the south side of the Pavilion at around mid-point and probably at a speed “better than 60” miles per hour, Porter Fire Chief Lewis Craig said. He noted that marks apparently made by Evans’ spinning his tires prior to collision were visible on the surface of the parking lot.

PFD firefighters responded to the scene at 6:45 a.m. to extricate Evans. They cleared the scene at 8:45 a.m.

The DNR Engineering Division has been notified of the incident and should be on the scene later this week to assess damage to the Pavilion, Indiana Dunes State Park Property Manager Brandt Baughman said.

“But at this point there’s not a great deal of concern about the structural integrity,” Baughman added. “Just the limestone was damaged, not the brick, and the limestone doesn’t seem to be bearing a load or directly connected to the building.”

Conservation Officer Guy Wendorf said that “Evans was a graduate of Valparaiso University and had ties to the area.”

Posted 11/16/2009