PORTER COUNTY, Ind.–Two semitrailers crashed on I-94 Thursday morning in Porter County, which left fuel and several coils of rolled steel on the road, and seriously injured one person.
At about 7:40, state police say a white 2020 Freightliner, owned by West Side Transport of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was pulling a box trailer when it was rear-ended by a black 2018 Peterbilt that had several coils of rolled steel in it. Then the trailer jack-knifed and some of the coils broke free and smashed through the cab of the Peterbilt.
The driver of the Peterbilt, Nathan P. Samples, 47, from Madrid, Iowa was trapped inside but was rescued by emergency responders. Samples was flown to the University of Chicago Hospital with serious injuries.
Investigators have identified the driver of the Freightliner as Derrell V. Taylor, 32, from Steger, Illinois. He was not injured.
Police do not suspect alcohol or drugs to be a factor in the crash at this time, but they are still trying to figure out what caused the accident.
Traffic was diverted onto U.S. 20 in Burns Harbor until about 10:30.
