Three people were killed and two others were critically injured overnight Friday after a collision between a passenger car and a semi-truck on southbound I-65 in Hobart, Indiana. First responders found three people dead at the scene and rushed two survivors to area hospitals, one by medical helicopter and another by ambulance. Southbound lanes were closed for hours while crews worked and investigators processed the wreck.
According to CBS Chicago, the Hobart Fire Department said one critically injured person was flown by the University of Chicago Aeromedical Network to a nearby trauma center and the second was taken by ambulance. The outlet reports that a reconstruction team and the Lake County coroner responded to the scene.
Why semis make crashes especially lethal
When a commercial tractor-trailer strikes a passenger car, the size and weight imbalance almost always leaves the smaller vehicle at a severe disadvantage. Federal crash data back that up: the FMCSA's large-truck crash facts show that a majority of deaths in crashes involving large trucks are occupants of the other vehicle (FMCSA).
Local response and investigation
Hobart fire officials told CBS Chicago that they do not expect names or additional information to be released Friday and that the investigation has been turned over to law enforcement. Officials said crews and reconstruction experts remained on scene for hours documenting evidence while the Lake County coroner conducted their review.
