HENRY COUNTY, Ind. – An Illinois trucker driver was killed after his rig struck the rear end of another tractor-trailer on Sept. 3 on Interstate 70 near the 124 mile-marker, according to an Indiana State Police (ISP) report.
The accident occurred in Henry County, Indiana, the report said.
A preliminary investigation showed that Radenko Dzamic, 68, of Lyons, Illinois, was driving a 2018 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer westbound when he failed to recognize that traffic ahead of him had slowed down, state police said.
Dzamic, who was traveling in the right lane, struck the rear of a 2018 Freightliner semi tractor-trailer driven by Ghoitom Hagos, 47, of Columbus, Ohio. That impact caused Hagos’ semi to strike the rear of a 2022 Peterbilt tractor-trailer driven by Charles Williams, 64, of Indianapolis, Indiana.
Master Trooper Bischoff and a deputy from the Henry County Sheriff’s Department responded and found Dzamic unresponsive and entrapped in his vehicle, the report said.
A small fire started underneath the semi, but officers were able to extinguish the flames before it spread to the cabin. Due to the vehicle damage, officers were unable to remove Dzamic from the vehicle. He was later pronounced dead by the Henry County coroner, according to the state police report.
The ISP Pendleton Reconstruction Team assisted with the investigation. Both westbound lanes of I-70 were shut down for more than four hours for vehicle removal and scene processing. All lanes have now been re-opened.
Hagos and Williams were both transported to a local hospital for a blood draw, which is required under Indiana law from all drivers involved in a serious bodily injury or fatal crash. Neither alcohol nor drugs are suspected of being a contributing factor at this time.
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