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One dead in three-vehicle crash on I-70
An Avon man was fatally injured Monday afternoon on Interstate 70 near the 30-mile marker in western Putnam County.
At 12:36 p.m., Indiana State Police and Putnam County emergency agencies responded to a three-vehicle collision in the westbound lanes.
The crash involved two tractor-trailer combinations and one passenger car.
Preliminary investigation revealed westbound traffic was slowing for a construction zone that began near the 29-mile marker and was requiring traffic to move into the right driving lane.
The Freightliner tractor driven by Robert P. Deakin, 46, Avon, failed to stop for an unknown reason, striking another tractor-trailer in the rear, forcing that tractor-trailer into a Chevrolet Cavalier.
Both tractor-trailer combinations were unloaded at time of the crash.
Deakin was pronounced dead at the scene. Following a Tuesday autopsy, Putnam County Coroner Dave Brown released Deakin's name, also revealing that he died of blunt force trauma.
The tractor-trailer he was driving was owned by Phoenix Metals of Middletown, Ohio.
The driver of the Cavalier was Thomas Scorg, 59, Parker, Colo. The driver of the tractor-trailer struck in the rear was Arron Smith, 50, of Dillsboro.
Both Scorg and Smith were taken to Putnam County Hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The crash was investigated by ISP Master Trooper Troy Cobb. Crash reconstruction was performed by ISP Trooper Brian Thomas and commercial vehicle inspections of the tractor-trailers were being done by ISP Master Trooper Kent Winstead and ISP Senior Trooper Byron Goodman.
Assisting were multiple troopers from the Putnamville Post, Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Putnam County Coroner Dave Brown, Operation Life Putnam County and Cloverdale and Reelsville fire departments.
The westbound lanes were closed until around 5 p.m., with traffic diverted onto U.S. 231, north to U.S. 40.
As of 4 p.m., westbound traffic on I-70 was backed up to the Cloverdale exit, 11 miles east of the crash.
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