FEBRUARY 20, 2015
HAMMOND, Ind. (WANE)
Indiana State Police closed a section of Interstate 80 in
Hammond for several hours after two semis collided causing a fire. Then while
crews cleaned up the road, another car crashed into an Emergency Management
Agency (EMA) vehicle, nearly hitting a worker.
Just after midnight on Saturday, the driver of a semi, Kevin
Greenlaw, sat on the outer shoulder of I-80 waiting for assistance for his
trailer. Police said after a service truck arrived and removed the disabled
trailer, Greenlaw put on his emergency flashers and continued driving on I-80.
A second semi driven by Zivojin Lukic was near the outer
shoulder of the road at this time. Lukic’s semi then crashed into the rear of
the semi, which forced his semi to jackknife across the other lanes. A
fuel tank ruptured and spilled diesel fuel across about 300 feet of the
interstate. Police said the fuel caught on fire for a short time before it put
itself out.
Greenlaw was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening
injuries. Luick was not injured. Lukic was cited for speeding too fast to avoid
a collision.
While crews were cleaning up the interstate, an EMA worker
was nearly
hit by an oncoming car. The EMA worker saw a car traveling fast and
not slowing down. He jumped over the concrete median just before the car hit
the rear of his EMA vehicle. The driver was cited for failure to yield to an
emergency vehicle and proof of financial responsibility.
All lanes were closed at one point for crews clean up the
traffic. Lanes were opened back up around 4 a.m.