Greenfield man killed on I-70

Indianapolis — Police are still investigating why a Greenfield man was walking in the middle of Interstate 70 early Friday, a decision that cost him his life around 1:30 a.m. when he was struck by a semi.

Indiana State Police responded to the accident scene after passing motorists called 911 to report that a semi-tractor trailer had possibly struck a deer in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 92 mile marker in Marion County.

Drivers reported the semi had front-end damage and was pulled over on the emergency shoulder of the interstate.

When officers arrived, they discovered the body of Johnny Cole, 33, in the road. The semi had left the scene of the accident, and local law enforcement officers were dispatched to keep an eye out for the damaged vehicle.

The driver of the semi, Andres Ivan Cespedes Delgado, 40, of Florida, came forward shortly thereafter, though he said he wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, according to police reports.

Delgado approached an officer at a gas station just off the Mt. Comfort Road exit to report he thought he’d struck a deer on the interstate.

Delgado consented to a blood-alcohol test and was taken to Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis. Alcohol was determined not to have been a factor in the accident, according to state police reports.

Cole was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Officers closed the eastbound lanes of the interstate for about 3.5 hours while investigating the crash early Friday.

There was no evidence to suggest why Cole would have been walking in the middle of the interstate. There were no broken-down cars in the area, police said.