At 11:52 p.m. Thursday, emergency crews were called to the scene of a serious crash on I-465 westbound near Michigan Road on the city’s northwest side. When first responders arrived they found the wreckage of a full size van into the rear end of a semi-tractor trailer. A medic from Hendricks County happened to be driving by and stopped to render aid until other first responders arrived. Two adult males were entrapped in a full size van and both were unconscious and unresponsive. Crews from the Indianapolis Fire Department worked to extricate both individuals. Despite life saving efforts, the passenger was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver was transported by EMS to an area hospital and later pronounced deceased.
Preliminary investigation by Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists determined a semi-tractor trailer had pulled over to the right shoulder due to a mechanical issue. A white full size cargo van ran off the road and struck the back of the trailer. Indications are the semi-tractor trailer was not in the travel lane and had emergency flashers activated. The driver of the semi requested medical evaluation however was not transported by EMS. The Marion County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene to recover the remains of the deceased.
The driver of the Chevrolet van was identified as 33 year old Andrew Blackwell of Greenwood. The passenger in the van was identified as 25 year old Brenden Harper of Indianapolis. The semi driver was Raimundo Luis of Miami, Florida.
The westbound lanes of I-465 were restricted for four hours while the crash was investigated, all westbound lanes have since reopened.
The information in this release is preliminary and this investigation is ongoing. There is no further information to release at this time.