Wayne County, IN : Massachusetts woman killed and passenger injured in a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 70, just west of the Centerville on Sunday afternoon, May 22, 2016

A Massachusetts woman was killed and her passenger injured in a four-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon on eastbound Interstate 70, just west of the Centerville Exit.

Around 3:50 p.m., Indiana State Police troopers responded to a report of up to eight vehicles involved in a crash.

Trooper Bryan Rumple was nearby and responded to find four vehicles involved, two semis and two passenger vehicles. The preliminary investigation shows a red east bound 2015 Volvo semi, driven by Harvinder Singh Bhagtana, 21, Fresno, California was going too fast for the existing traffic conditions, an ISP press release said. Traffic at the time was backed up five to six miles and was slow to stopped in both east bound lanes, just prior to the Centerville Road exit due to a construction zone lane closure at the 151 eastbound mile marker.

As Bhagtana’s truck came upon the slowed to stopped traffic, he was unable to stop before glancing off the rear corner of a 2016 Acura, driven by Nicholas Berry, 21, Naperville, Illinois. That vehicle was knocked out into the median, the release said. The semi driven by Bhagtana continued east in the passing lane and struck the rear of a 2009 Audi, driven by Margaret Ryan, 22, Boston, Massachusetts.

The impact pushed the Audi SUV under the semi-trailer she had been following. Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene. Her passenger, Christine Yip, 25, St. Louis, Missouri, was transported to Reid Health Hospital in Richmond with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the second semi, William Weatherford III, 51, Palm Coast Florida, was uninjured, as were Bhagtana and Berry. Bhagtana was cited at the scene by Trooper Rumple for speed too fast to avoid a collision.

The crash had I-70 east bound closed for five hours with traffic being diverted onto Ind. 1 at the 137 mile marker.

Trooper Rumple was assisted in the investigation by crash reconstruction troopers Nick Campbell and Scott Keegan; troopers Dan Jones and Earnest Paige as well as Sgt. Dave Clayton. Commercial vehicle enforcement division trooper Al Willis inspected the semi-tractor trailers involved.

Also assisting at the scene were the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, the Centerville police and fire Departments, Redline EMS and the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Source :
One fatality in Wayne Co. crash