Crushed and burned Dodge after fatal accident today

A motorist died early this morning in a two vehicle accident on I-80 in Lake County, the Indiana State Police said.

The ISP is withholding the name of the victim pending the notification of family.

According to police, at 3:18 a.m. the motorist was off on the outer shoulder of westbound I-80 at the 14.9 mile marker, just west of Ripley, when a semi-tractor box trailer left the roadway and struck the motorist’s 2004 Dodge pickup in the rear. The force of the collision drove the Dodge across all three lanes of traffic and into the concrete barrier wall on the inner shoulder, police said. At some point the Dodge burst into flames with the motorist still inside it. The motorist was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene by the Lake County Coroner.

The driver of the semi, Juan M. Guzman, 38, of Chicago, was not injured. His rig, owned by J & R Trucking of Chicago, was carrying general merchandise. No load was lost, police said.

All westbound lanes of I-80 were closed and traffic diverted off at Ripley for removal of the victim, cleanup, and reconstruction. The road was believed to have re-opened at 7 a.m.

Thursday’s Victim Identified

Meanwhile, the ISP has released the name of the victim in early Thursday morning’s fatal crash on westbound I-80 at the 5.9 mile marker just east of Cline Ave.

At 4:31 a.m. Yolandria S. Davis, 24, of Gary, was driving a 2006 Chevrolet Impala in the right lane of I-80 when for an unknown reason she veered into the right center lane and hit a semi-tractor box trailer in the middle. Davis was not wearing a safety belt, police said, and died at the scene of massive trauma.

Davis’ passenger, Larry G. Wroby Jr., 29, also of Gary, was similarly not wearing a safety belt and was transported to North Lake Methodist Hospital in Gary with a head injury.

The driver of the semi, Randy D. Carter, 39, of Bolingbrook, Ill., was wearing his safety belt and escaped injury.

The three right lanes of westbound I-80 were closed for around two and half hours early Thursday.

Posted 5/30/2008