1 dead and 2 injured after morning accident on I-70

PUTNAM COUNTY, Ind. – One person was killed and two people were injured in a collision between a pickup truck and a semi-trailer Friday morning.

The Indiana State Police (ISP) said the accident occurred on June 28 around 10:30 a.m. on I-70 westbound.

A preliminary investigation by ISP indicates that traffic in the area slowed or came to a stop due to a previous accident on westbound I-70 at the 30 mile marker.

According to police, a 2023 Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by a 49-year-old Indianapolis man was traveling westbound on I-70 in the passing lane. The tractor-trailer’s hazard lights were on due to slow/stopped traffic. The tractor-trailer driver stopped when he felt something hit the back of his truck.

According to ISP, a 2016 Nissan pickup truck was traveling westbound in the passing lane behind the semi-trailer, failed to notice the slowed or stopped traffic and struck the rear of the semi-trailer.

The driver of the pickup truck, Norma Rivera, 54, of New Castle, Delaware, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two passengers in the pickup truck, a man and a child, were flown by medical helicopter to local hospitals in Indianapolis. Police said both are expected to survive.

ISP pointed out that drugs and alcohol probably did not contribute to the accident.