LAKE COUNTY, Ind.–A four-vehicle crash Thursday morning on the Indiana Toll Road was caused by a drunk driver from Hobart, say investigators.
State police say it happened around 3 when a 2017 Ford Explorer driven by Andrew J. Lech, 38, of Hobart, went onto I-80/94 westbound from I-65 northbound and did not yield to a 2016 Volvo semi-tractor pulling a trailer owned by Hunter Trucking out of Minnesota.
Lech sideswiped the Hunter Trucking semi, which caused the Explorer to go south across westbound I-80/94 and hit a 2016 Volvo semi-tractor pulling tow trailers owned by FedEx Delivery out of Pennsylvania, investigators say.
After the Explorer hit the FedEx semi, it ricocheted again. This time it went northbound across I-80/94 westbound and hit a concrete barrier wall and stopped.
A 2019 Kenworth semi-tractor pulling a trailer owned by US Prime Freight System out of California rear-ended the Hunter Trucking semi when it was briefly disabled on the highway after it was hit by Lech.
A dog that was in Lech’s Explorer was taken to the Lake County Animal Control.
Westbound lanes were closed for about an hour with traffic getting by only on the inner shoulder.
Police say Lech’s blood alcohol content tested almost three times over the legal limit. No one was hurt in the accident.
Lech was taken to the Lake County Jail. He’s charged with operating while intoxicated with a prior conviction (level 6 felony), operating while intoxicated endangerment (Class A misdemeanor), and operating while intoxicated (Class C misdemeanor).
(PHOTO: Indiana State Police)
