An overnight accident on I-94 eastbound near the Burns Harbor/Porter exit ramp in Porter County claimed the life of a Knox man on Friday.
A preliminary investigation by the Indiana State Police revealed that a 2017 Dodge Ram straight truck owned by Traffic Control Specialists, Inc. was stopped on the shoulder while construction workers were performing maintenance to the orange construction zone signs along I-94 just before 3 a.m. CT.
As 38-year-old Ryan Greer, from Knox, exited that vehicle, a 2019 Volvo tractor/trailer reportedly drove onto the right shoulder for an unknown reason and rear-ended the vehicle. Police say Greer died from the impact. The family was notified.
The impact caused the Dodge truck to travel down the right ditch and into the trees, according to the report. A male passenger in the vehicle was not injured.
Police say the Volvo continued east, crossed all lanes of travel and struck the concrete median wall where it burst into flames. The driver, 54-year-old Kuldeep Singh Palak, from Alberta, Canada, was not injured. Police noted that the trailer was loaded with 37,000 lbs. of frozen pork.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing with the Indiana State Police, Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction Team, Indiana State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Division, and the Porter County Prosecutor’s Office where formal charges or citations may be determined following the investigation.
The Indiana State Police was assisted at the scene by the Burns Harbor Police Department, Porter Police Department, Porter County HAZMAT, IDEM, Burns Harbor Fire Department, Porter County Coroner, INDOT, and WAFFCO Towing.
