A one-year-old child was airlifted to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis today after the vehicle in which he was riding was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer on U.S. 20 in LaPorte County.
The crash happened around 10 a.m., according to officials with the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office. They say a 1999 Cadillac Escalade was stopped in the left, eastbound lane of U.S. 20 waiting to turn left onto County Road 400 West and was struck by a Volvo semi trailer hauling a coil of steel.
The impact knocked the SUV across the westbound lanes of U.S. 20., and a passenger needed to be cut from the vehicle. All three occupants were initially taken to St. Anthony Hospital in Michigan City. The driver, Mathieu Lawrence, 33, and passenger, 29-year-old Alex Taylor, both of rural LaPorte County sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The infant, Marc Lawrence, was properly restrained in a rear-facing car seat, according to the accident report. He sustained head injuries and was flown from Michigan City to Indianapolis.
The truck driver, 58-year-old Ratko Dubroja of Cedar Lake was not injured.
The highway was closed for about two hours for cleanup.
