ORLEANS, Ind. (AP) — Police say a steel coil wasn’t properly tied down when it fell from a truck and killed three people and injured a young girl on a southern Indiana highway.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department says the nearly 44,000-pound coil came off the semitrailer Monday night on Indiana 37 near the town of Orleans.

The department said Tuesday the coil struck a pickup truck driven by 22-year-old Zachary Staggs of Bedford, killing him and 21-year-old Shannon Steele of Jasper and injuring 11-year-old Mackenzie Taylor. She was taken by helicopter to Kosair Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Ky., where she was listed in fair condition.

The coil also hit a car, killing the driver, 41-year-old Michael Daugherty of Mitchell. The semitrailer driver was given a ticket for having the coil improperly secured.

Posted 1/12/2010