Lake County, Indiana – A driver was flown to Chicago with life-threatening injuries after a serious crash on Interstate 80 in Lake County Tuesday morning, Indiana State Police said.
According to state police, troopers responded around 7:40 a.m. to an injury crash on Interstate 80 westbound, west of Burr Street. Preliminary investigation indicates a 1999 blue GMC Yukon was traveling on the right shoulder while passing other vehicles.
At the same time, a 2016 Freightliner tractor-trailer pulling a loaded trailer was parked on the right shoulder due to a mechanical failure. Police said the semi was disabled and had emergency warning triangles properly deployed behind the trailer.
For reasons still under investigation, the Yukon struck the rear of the parked trailer at a high rate of speed, trapping the driver inside the SUV. The Gary Fire Department responded and extricated the driver after an extended rescue effort.
State police said the driver sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported by UCAN medical helicopter to the University of Chicago Hospital for treatment. No information on the driver’s identity or condition was immediately released.
As a result of the crash, Interstate 80 westbound was closed for just over one hour to allow for helicopter landing operations and for troopers to conduct a crash investigation.
Indiana State Police emphasized that highway shoulders are intended for emergency use only. Disabled vehicles are often stopped on shoulders, and using them as a travel lane significantly increases the risk of severe or fatal crashes, police said.
The crash remains under investigation.
