INDIANAPOLIS – The northbound lanes on Interstate 65 near downtown Indianapolis were shut down for hours because of a semi-tractor trailer fire that caused one death.
According to Indiana State Police, around 12:05 a.m. Friday, a passenger car stalled in the roadway and called 911 for help. While they were on the phone with dispatchers, the vehicle was struck by a second vehicle from behind.
The collision caused the second vehicle to spin into the path of a semi-tractor-trailer. The semi ran into the second vehicle and both “became engulfed in flames,” according to ISP.
The driver of the vehicle that was struck by the semi was pronounced dead. The driver of the semi, and the driver of the stalled vehicle, were not seriously injured.
Officials with the Indiana State Police said investigators are not sure what caused the vehicle to become disabled.
“A malfunction caused the car to shut off and none of the lights would work, leaving it stalled in the left lane with no lights,” the release said.