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Multi-vehicle 18-wheeler crash kills 5

Last Updated: 24 July, 2015

A tragic truck accident late Thursday night involving at least two semi-trucks and two passenger vehicles resulted in the deaths of three adults and two children. According to authorities, a 34-year-old truck driver was hauling cooking oil on Interstate 65 near Lafayette when his semi-truck slammed into the back of a Toyota Yaris, sending the Yaris off of the roadway and into a ditch.

The semi then proceeded to hit another passenger vehicle, a Honda Pilot, and then crash into the back of another semi-truck. This final collision started a fire that engulfed the Honda and parts of the two 18-wheelers. The driver and two child passengers in the Honda Pilot were killed in the accident, along with the driver of the Yaris and the truck driver responsible for the collision. A passenger in the Yaris was taken to the hospital and later released.

Authorities state that the accident occurred because the truck driver responsible for the crash failed to slow his speed when entering a construction zone. Because the road way was flat and dry at the time of the accident, and the construction zone was well marked, some are speculating that the driver may have fallen asleep or was otherwise distracted, and thus failed to reduce his speed.