Man dies after 2 semi-trucks collide in Indiana

DELAWARE COUNTY — A man was killed after two semi-trucks crashed into one another in Indiana Saturday afternoon.

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The Indiana State Police, Pendleton District was dispatched to Interstate 69 near the Pipe Creek Rest Area at around 5:16 p.m. on reports of a crash, a spokesperson from the department stated.

The responding state trooper found a heavily damaged red Freightliner semi tractor-trailer rear ended another that was stopped in traffic.

Darrell Charles Kositzke, 65, of Michigan, was identified as the driver of the heavily damaged semi tractor-trailer.

Initially he was found entrapped inside the wreckage, remaining unconscious and unresponsive, the spokesperson informed. However, once emergency crews were able to extricate the person, they determined Kositzke suffered life-threatening injuries and succumbed to them.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Delaware County Coroner.

The driver of the standstill semi tractor-trailer suffered minor injuries, but was still transported to IU Ball Memorial Hospital.

Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists investigated the scene and found that the standstill semi tractor-trailer stopped due to a backup caused by construction. It was then rear ended by Kositzke because he was believed to be distracted at the time of the crash, the spokesperson said.

Northbound lanes of Interstate 69 were closed and traffic was re-routed in the northbound rest area while the crash was investigated and the wreckage removed.

The Indiana State Police, Pendleton District led the ongoing investigation into the crash. The Alexandria Fire Department, Gaston Fire Department, Gaston EMS, Delaware County EMA, Delaware County Sheriff’s Department and Northwest Towing assisted with the incident.

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