A LaPorte man died Sunday after being struck by a semi-tractor trailer as he was trying to cross I-94 on foot two miles west of Ind. 49, the Indiana State Police said.

The victim has been identified as Nicholas Canzoneri, 21. The Porter County Coroner pronounced him dead at the scene of massive trauma, police said.

According to police, shortly before 3:35 a.m. Canzoneri had been westbound on I-94 at the 24 mile marker west of the Chesterton exit when he left the roadway and hit a guard rail on the outer shoulder, then crossed all three lanes of traffic and struck the concrete median wall. Police said that Canzoneri climbed out the driver’s side window and over the barrier wall and was trying to cross the eastbound lanes of I-94 on foot when he was hit in the far right lane by the semi.

The driver of the semi was Wayne C. Ward, 53, of British Columbia, Canada. Ward, who was not injured, was hauling 35,000 pounds of produce. None of the load was lost, police said.

The eastbound lanes of I-94 were closed and diverted at the U.S. Highway 20/Burns Harbor exit for removal of the vehicles and investigation. All lanes were re-opened at approximately 6 :50 a.m.

The results of a routine toxicology screen on Canzoneri are pending.

Posted 11/5/2007