In The News

3 killed in Indiana I-69 pileup amid snowfall

FISHERS, Ind. — Dozens of cars and semitrailers crashed during a sudden snowstorm Tuesday along a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 69, killing three people, police said.

The crashes occurred as more than 3 inches of snow fell in about three hours in the Indianapolis area and shut down much of I-69 between the northern Indianapolis suburbs and the Muncie area for several hours.

The three people killed were involved in a 31-vehicle pileup about eight miles north of I-465, state police Sgt. Michael Burns said. Several others suffered less-severe injuries in that chain-reaction crash, which involved nine semitrailers and 22 other vehicles.

Police identified two of those killed as Dustin R. Goettman, 27, and Ryan A. Phillips, 28, both of Anderson, who were in the same truck. A third person in an SUV was initially hospitalized in critical condition but later died, Burns said. That person’s identity was not immediately released.

The accident occurred when a firetruck responding to an earlier crash was rear-ended by another vehicle, setting off a chain-reaction crash, police said.

One motorist said he could not avoid the crash in the southbound lanes.

“I came up on the accident and was easing my way through and somebody hit the side of me and hit the back of me,” Kevin Robinson said. “I just sat there at that point until the banging was over and climbed out the window of my truck.”

The National Weather Service said 3.7 inches of snow fell at Indianapolis International Airport in about three hours before 10 a.m.

Fishers police Sgt. Gerry Hepp said the snowfall caused near-white-out conditions at the time of the fatal crash.

“I’ve never seen anything like it ... in my 18 years in Fishers,” Hepp said.

Some motorists were driving too fast for the weather conditions and too close to other vehicles, contributing to the pileup, state police Sgt. Anthony Emery said.

“You can’t put it all on the weather,” he said.

Another pileup occurred on southbound I-69 near Pendleton involving seven semitrailers and 20 cars, state police Lt. Clint Bundy said. Wreckers towed cars to another location to clear the highway.

Yet another crash involving 20 vehicles happened on I-69 near Anderson, while other crashes and slide-offs tied up traffic on the highway in the Muncie area. No injuries were reported in those crashes.

Other highways weren’t immune, with problems continuing into the afternoon.

Along I-70 in eastern Indiana, blowing snow quickly drifted on the roads to 7 inches deep in places. Traffic slowed to a crawl as accidents created backups of up to three miles.

Tractor-trailers jackknifed into ditches, in some cases shattering guardrails, and smaller cars were stranded after skidding into the median.

In Richmond, near the Ohio border, cars pulled off I-70 at a snail’s pace and made a beeline for motels, many of which had parking lots filled with foot-deep snowdrifts.

Associated Press writer Ted Anthony contributed to this story.

Jerry Breeden of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at [email protected].