GREENFIELD — Officials with the Indiana State Police say they are investigating a fatal motorcycle accident on Interstate-70 late Saturday night that took the life of a Richmond man.
The motorcyclist has been identified as Mark Webster, 47, Richmond.
On Saturday, Aug. 27, at approximately 11:59 p.m. emergency crews responded to the scene of a serious multi-vehicle crash in the eastbound lanes of I-70 near the 97 mile marker, officials with the ISP said in a release. A semi-tractor trailer involved in the crash caught fire closing both eastbound and westbound traffic lanes for several hours.
When first responders arrived they located a man, later identified as Webster, lying in the roadway, officials said. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The drivers of the other vehicles involved were not injured.
Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists Lieutenant Tyler Utterback and Trooper Kari Woodard responded to the scene to do the investigation. Preliminary information has led investigators to believe a pick-up truck pulling a car trailer had broken down in the right lane of I-70 where there are no emergency shoulders due to construction in the area.
The motorcyclist, Webster, officials said did not see what was coming and struck the back of the car trailer. Webster was ejected into the left lane. Another eastbound car then struck the motorcycle and the motorcyclist. Shortly after the second impact a semi-tractor trailer struck the motorcycle in the roadway causing the motorcycle and eventually the semi trailer to catch on fire.
The driver of the semi was able to get out of the truck prior to the fire.
The eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed for approximately seven hours while the crash was investigated and the wreckage was removed. The westbound lanes had to be closed while the semi was engulfed due to the proximity of the fire to the westbound traffic. The westbound lanes were reopened at 1:55 a.m.
This investigation is ongoing and there is no further information to release at this time, however local officials are investigating yet another crash on the interstate that happened late last week.
Officials with the Greenfield Police Department told the Daily Reporter one person died on Interstate-70 following a two person crash on I-70 late Thursday night.
The crash happened around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25 on I-70 eastbound just west of the State Road 9 exit in Greenfield, near mile marker 103.
Police have not released all of the details of that crash but have said one person died, and at least two vehicles were involved.
The road was closed until around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning, but some traffic still remained around 5:30 a.m. due to the backup. Officials with the Indiana Department of Transportation noted some drivers had to be woken up after falling asleep while stuck in traffic for hours.
