GARY, IN – A catastrophic crash on the Indiana Toll road claimed the life of a 7-year-old Illinois resident.
The crash was a result of a number of vehicles stopping partially in the right lane near the 12-mile-marker. As for the reason why the vehicles stopped, it was reportedly because they were trying to capture a stray dog that was running on the interstate.
Moments before the accident, a blue 2017 Chevrolet Volt was eastbound in the center lane and was approaching the location where the vehicles were partially stopped. Consequently, the Chevrolet reduced its speed.
At the time the Chevrolet was reducing speed, a semi-truck that was also traveling eastbound in the same lane rear-ended the car at high speed. The truck, a 2018 Freightliner, did devastating damage to the Chevrolet. From the impact, the passenger from the rear seats was ejected from the car.
When the accident happened, there were three people in the Volt – the driver Anthony M. Swanson, 38, from Chicago, IL (Driver), a second, unidentified female passenger (Passenger Seat), and Thatcher Swanson, 7, from Chicago, IL (Rear Seat).
Antony and the female passenger were with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries and were both transported to Northlake Hospital in Gary for treatment. The driver of the semi-truck, Javier A. Ayala, 51, from Cleveland, OH, was not injured.
The rear seat passenger from the Volt, Thatcher Swanson, has died at the scene. The family has been notified since the identification.
The semi-truck was transporting 10 lbs. Of corrosive acid which remained in the trailer after the crash.
Following the crash, the Indiana Toll Road’s eastbound lanes near the location were closed for approximately six hours.
You can read the whole Indiana State Police Report here.
