VIGO COUNTY, Ind. — A person is dead after colliding with a tractor-trailer during a time when traffic speeds were reduced.
Ramaz Chokheli, 51, of Brooklyn, New York, was driving a 2019 Volvo tractor trailer in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 in rural Indiana.
A Ford Transit van that was also traveling eastbound on I-70 reportedly failed to see that traffic was slowed or stopped in the area and ran into the rear of Chokheli’s tractor-trailer.
Chokheli was stopped due to the cleanup of multiple vehicle accidents that had occurred earlier in the morning.
The force of the collision caused the van to erupt in flames.
A trooper was located near the accident scene and attempted to extricate the driver out of the transit van but was unable to do so because of the damage from the collision and the intense heat from the fire.
Sugar Creek Volunteer Fire Department arrived shortly after and worked to extinguish the fire.
Indiana State Police confirmed that the driver of the transit van is deceased; however, positive identification of the driver is not yet available.
Once positive identification has been made and family members are notified, the driver’s name will be released.
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