Four-Semi Crash Blocks Indiana Toll Road Overnight
Four-Semi Crash Blocks Indiana Toll Road Overnight
Anonymous
Key Points
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The crash occurred at approximately 10:39 p.m. Monday near mile marker 151.2 on the Indiana Toll Road.
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Indiana State Police identified the truck that struck the stopped traffic as a blue 2020 Volvo driven by 39-year-old Ruslan Piddaniuk of Parma, Ohio.
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The collision occurred as vehicles entered the merge point of an overnight work zone where crews were performing maintenance at the Eastpoint Toll Plaza.
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The response and cleanup involved the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, Fremont police and fire/EMS, Indiana Toll Road Maintenance, and Bill’s Professional Towing and Repair, alongside Indiana State Police.
A chain-reaction crash involving four semitrailers shut down all eastbound lanes of the Indiana Toll Road in Steuben County for nearly eight hours Monday night. Indiana State Police said a blue 2020 Volvo driven by 39-year-old Ruslan Piddaniuk of Parma, Ohio failed to slow for stopped traffic at an overnight work zone near the Eastpoint Toll Plaza around 10:39 p.m. and struck three other trucks. One truck caught fire, but its driver escaped safely. Two drivers were hospitalized with minor pain complaints and later released.
The crash occurred near mile marker 151.2 as vehicles entered a merge point where crews were performing maintenance. Traffic was diverted at Angola Exit 144 while emergency responders from multiple agencies cleared the scene. The eastbound lanes reopened around 6:45 a.m. Tuesday after cleanup crews finished their work.
Volvo Fails to Brake at Work Zone
Piddaniuk's blue Volvo struck the three stopped vehicles without slowing, triggering the chain-reaction crash at approximately 10:39 p.m. Monday. The collision happened exactly where drivers needed to merge into the overnight work zone near Eastpoint Toll Plaza. Indiana State Police noted that stopped traffic was present at the merge point due to maintenance crews operating at the toll plaza.
One of the struck semitrailers caught fire following impact. The driver escaped the burning truck safely before flames spread. Two other drivers from the involved vehicles were taken to a nearby hospital with pain complaints but were released after evaluation, indicating relatively minor injuries despite the severity of the crash.
Eight-Hour Road Closure Disrupts Eastern Toll Traffic
All eastbound lanes of the Indiana Toll Road were blocked from 10:39 p.m. Monday until approximately 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, creating an 8-hour closure in Steuben County. Drivers were diverted off the toll road at Angola Exit 144 to avoid the crash scene. The lengthy closure affected morning commuters and commercial traffic on a major route through northeastern Indiana.
Multi-Agency Response Clears Wreckage and Fire
The response involved Indiana State Police, the Steuben County Sheriff's Office, Fremont police and fire/EMS crews, Indiana Toll Road Maintenance workers, and Bill's Professional Towing and Repair. Emergency responders had to extinguish the burning truck, clear debris from all four lanes, and remove the damaged semitrailers from the roadway. The coordinated effort between local and state agencies took more than seven hours to complete.
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