Driver of Wisconsin truck will not face charges in Indiana accident

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BRISTOL, Ind. - A truck driver for a central Wisconsin company will not face charges – at least for now – after getting into in a rear-end crash in Indiana that killed seven people in a mini-van.

The Indiana State Patrol said the van hit a deer. And the truck driver was going about 65-miles-an-hour when his rig hit the van right after that. The trucker, 24-year-old Jesse Donovan of Johnston, Rhode Island, drives for Roehl Transport of Marshfield. The mishap occurred around eight last night on Interstate-90, the Indiana Toll Road, near Bristol, Indiana.

The seven people killed were all members of an extended family traveling from Chicago to New Jersey for a funeral. They ranged in age from six months to 52-years-old. The Chicago Tribune said they were all Ecudoran immigrants living in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood. None of the van’s 10 occupants were wearing seat belts. Seven died at the scene. Three others in the van were hospitalized at last word. Two were said to be in critical condition. The truck driver, Donovan, was released from a hospital after treatment for minor injuries.

Indiana State Police Sergeant Trent Smith said preliminary tests indicated the trucker had not been drinking. After the crash, both vehicles ended up in the center median, blocking traffic in both directions. The Toll Road was closed for four hours. Roehl Transport vice president Greg Koepel said the company’s hearts go out to the crash victims and their family.

Tags: news, wisconsin, accident