One semi driver is dead and two more are injured after a chain of collisions that closed the northbound lanes of I-65 Monday morning. The northbound traffic on I-65 at 10:30 a.m. was slowed to near stopping by a crash that took place earlier Monday morning . The Indiana State Police and the Indiana Department of Transportation had informational signs and police cars placed throughout the backed-up traffic. In these traffic conditions, a row of four semis were involved in rear end collisions.

The front semi, driven by 53-year-old Mark W. Brafett of West Terre Haute, Indiana, was rear-ended. Brafett was not injured and only the trailer was damaged. Brafett’s trailer had been rear-ended by a semi driven by 51-year-old Richard T. Stroud of Paducah, Kentucky. Stroud’s cab and trailer were damaged. Stroud was taken to Jasper County Hospital in Rensselaer, complaining of neck and back pain. Stroud’s vehicle was rear-ended by a semi driven by 53-year-old Steven D. Rowland of Florissant, Missouri. Rowland’s vehicle suffered heavy front-end and trailer damage. Rowland was taken to Jasper County Hospital with a leg injury. Rowland was rear-ended by a semi driven by 47-year-old Mandeep S. Nagra of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. The tractor portion of Nagra’s semi was totaled. Nagra was airlifted from the scene and taken by Lifeline helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis where he was later pronounced dead.

Police have reopened the Interstate however are still investigating the collision.

Two separate crashes, involving a total of five tractor-trailers, killed one motorist and injured two others. Two Indiana 18-wheeler crashes, one of which involved four semi-trucks, occurred on Interstate 65 and caused three people to suffer injuries ranging from minor to fatal.

A single-vehicle 18-wheeler accident backed up traffic along Interstate 65, subsequently causing four tractor-trailers to become involved in a chain-reaction collision more than five hours later. The pair of accidents occurred Monday, March 29, 2010, in southern Jasper County, Indiana, according to information provided by IndyStar.com.

Indiana State Police (ISP) authorities reported an 18-wheeler, driven by 50-year-old Jorge O. Acevedo, overturned in the northbound lanes of I-65 at approximately 6 a.m. Boxes carrying nearly 30,000 pounds of t-shirts allegedly spilled out of the semi as a result of the rollover accident. While Acevedo luckily managed to escape injury in the semi crash, the rig blocked both lanes of the interstate, causing traffic to slow to a crawl.

At around 11:32 a.m., a tractor-trailer, driven by 47-year-old Mandeep S. Nagra, struck the rear of 53-year-old Steven D. Rowland’s semi for unknown reasons. The impact caused Rowland’s truck to rear-end another big rig, driven by 51-year-old Richard T. Stroud. Stroud’s truck consequently hit yet another 18-wheeler, driven by 53-year-old Mark W. Brafett.

Fire rescue personnel responded to the scene to extricate Nagra from his damaged semi. He was then airlifted to Methodist Hospital via medical helicopter, where his critical injuries proved fatal at 6 p.m. Emergency medical services (EMS) crews also transported Stroud and Rowland to Jasper County Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries. Brafett did not sustain any injuries in the chain-reaction 18-wheeler crash. It was not stated whether any citations were issued in regards to either wreck, though investigations are expected to continue.

Though the Indiana State Police are investigating the cause of this collision, it is often times difficult to determine early on who is at fault.  It is important to hire an attorney early says Finis Price, an attorney with Kentucky Lawyers.  All too often police investigators officially say the cause of a crash is unknown yet our accident reconstructionist will tell us otherwise, says attorney Finis Price with Kentucky Lawyers.  ”Quick response is the key to ensuring all witnesses’ statements are recorded and an accurate picture of the events which took place are captured,” he says.

Kentucky State Police have reported an accident involving a semi tractor-trailer and a van that has southbound I-75 closed near the Kentucky-Tennessee border.  Kentucky State Police say the semi flipped the van and then lost control, slamming into a concrete wall near the three mile marker around 4:15 a.m. The impact caused the truck spill diesel fuel and burst into flames on an overpass.

A man suffered fatal injuries after his pickup truck was struck by a tractor trailer truck Monday night in Whitley County, Kentucky. The truck accident happened on Interstate 75 near Corbin, KY. The area of the collision is in the far southeast section of the state about 30 miles north of the Tennessee border, 90 miles south of Lexington, KY and 86 miles north of Knoxville, TN.

Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday night 65 year old Larry W. Rogers of Corbin, KY was traveling south on Interstate 75 in Whitley County in a 1996 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck. A few minutes later he stopped his pickup and was straddling the shoulder and the right lane of the interstate near mile marker 26. Kentucky State Police are unsure why Mr. Rogers stopped his vehicle in the traffic lane of the highway.

At around 10:45 p.m. 44 year old Donald M. Cain of Dayton, Ohio was driving a 2007 Freightliner tractor trailer truck south on I-75 and suddenly came upon Mr. Roger’s pickup in the road. The truck driver was unable to maneuver or stop to avoid an accident and rear ended the smaller truck.

Mr. Rogers was reportedly not wearing a seat belt, and the force of the truck accident ejected him from his Chevy pickup truck out onto the roadway.

Whitley County Emergency Management team and EMS personnel responded to the truck accident scene to treat the victims. They found that Mr. Rogers suffered fatal injuries and he was pronounced dead at the scene of the truck collision by the Whitley County Coroner’s Office.

Mr. Cain, the driver of the 18 wheeler, was not injured in the rear end truck collision.

Kentucky State Police and the Corbin Police Department also responded to the scene of the truck accident. They closed down the interstate in the vicinity of the truck accident for several hours while crews cleared the wreckage of the rear end crash from the interstate.

One lane of the interstate was opened by Tuesday morning.

After a preliminary investigation of the fatal truck accident, authorities have ruled out drug or alcohol use as being a factor.

The Kentucky State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement was also at the site to check out the mechanical operation of Mr. Cain’s Freightliner tractor trailer truck. There were no reports that his trailer truck malfunctioned.

At this time no charges or citations have been brought. The truck accident remains under investigation.

MetroSafe Communications has reported an accident between two semi tractor trailers at 10:20 a.m. this morning on Interstate 65 northbound to I-64 westbound.  The motor vehicle collision resulted in two ramps and several lanes being in Spaghetti Junction.  Fortunately, there were no injuries or hazardous materials were spilled.

One of the semi-tractor trailers was carrying a 16-ton steel coil, but it was not disclosed what materials were strewn across the Interstate.  Though emergency crews were present and attempting to clear the Interstate, no time-table was given to the re-opening of the ramps or lanes.  Attorneys at KYLawyers.com say that many more collisions can result from such accidents as a result of the closing of the ramps and both lanes of traffic.  Finis Price says that it is imperative when collisions happen with semi-tractor trailers that you seek legal advice immediately, “more so in semi tractor trailer cases than regular motor vehicles given the extensive documentation which must be retained as soon as possible”.