Fiery Truck Accident on Indiana Highway
May 11th, 2010 | 
Author: LA PORTE, IN – A fiery truck accident on Friday night, April 30, 2010, shut down a section of an Indiana highway for several hours. The collision between a FedEx truck and a semi flatbed trailer occurred on Interstate 80/90 near the city of La Porte, in La Porte County, IN. The accident area is in the northwest section of the state near the borders of Illinois and Michigan, about 40 miles south of St. Joseph, MI and 70 miles east of Chicago, Illinois.
After rear-ending the flat bed trailer, the FedEx truck jackknifed across both lanes of the interstate and burst into flames. The flatbed semi was carrying three cars on its trailer at the time.
At around 7:45 p.m. 34 year old Andy Bowers of Walkerton, IN was driving a FedEx truck westbound on Interstate 80/90, also known as the East-West Indiana Toll Road, in La Porte County, IN. As Mr. Bowers was crossing a bridge on the interstate near mile marker 57 one of the tires on the FedEx truck blew out and he lost control of the rig.
The FedEx truck crashed into the back section of a westbound semi flatbed truck driven by 49 year old Nelson Ruiz-Santiago of Riverview, Florida. The flatbed semi was carrying three cars on its trailer at the time. After rear-ending the flat bed trailer, the FedEx truck jackknifed across both lanes of the interstate and burst into flames.
The truck accident caused the three cars on the flatbed to fall off the trailer. The crash threw debris into the air with some pieces of the wreckage landing in both the westbound and eastbound lanes of the interstate. The collision also damaged a utility line, but it was not known if any residents in the vicinity of the crash site lost power.
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Indiana State Patrol and local emergency personnel rushed to the site of the two truck accident. The FedEx driver, Mr. Bowers, suffered third degree burns to his face and right arm and may also have broke an arm during the collision. He was stabilized at the scene of the truck collision and then medically airlifted to Memorial Hospital in South Bend, IN, about 35 miles away. According to a hospital spokesperson the truck driver was treated and later released.
The driver of the flat bed trailer semi may have sustained back injuries and was also taken to Memorial Hospital.
The eastbound lanes of I-80/90 were closed for several hours while highway crews cleared debris from the traffic lanes. The eastbound lanes would reopen at around 10:00 p.m. Friday night. The westbound lanes would remain closed for several more hours while crews cleaned the crash scene and Indiana State Police officers investigated the truck accident. The westbound lanes of the interstate finally opened back up early Saturday morning.
At this time no charges have been made and the truck accident is under investigation.
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