Three people, including two children, were killed and one is seriously injured after the driver of their vehicle crashed into a semitrailer parked on the side of the highway early Friday morning.
They were identified Friday evening as Raniah Simpson, 19, Royce Sims, 9, and Artavius Sims, 5, all of Chicago. All died from blunt force injuries, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
The Post-Tribune is not releasing the driver’s name, identified by police as a 31-year-old Gary woman, because she has not been formally charged.
Indiana State Police troopers from the Lowell Post responded around midnight to a catastrophic crash a mile south of Ridge Road on southbound Interstate 65, ISP spokesman Sgt. Glen Fifield said in a release Friday.
They arrived to find a blue Ford Explorer facing west and blocking the two right lanes after it had rear-ended a parked white Freightliner Cascadia’s box trailer at a high rate of speed.
The semi had been parked on the right shoulder because of mechanical issues, Fifield said.
The driver of the Explorer had been heading southbound in the right lane when she drove off the road and hit the trailer, Fifield said. She may have fallen asleep at the wheel, he said.
Indiana State Police said three people, one in the front passenger side, one in the rear left passenger seat, and one in the middle rear seat, all suffered fatal injuries, Fifield said. The child in the front passenger seat was ejected from the vehicle upon impact, he said.
A child, who was in the middle seat of the Explorer’s third row, was airlifted to the University of Chicago with potentially life-threatening injuries, Fifield said. None were properly restrained.
The woman driving the Explorer was taken to Franciscan Crown Point with upper-body injuries, Fifield said. She and the semi driver, who wasn’t injured in the crash, consented to blood draws since police believe alcohol is involved, he said.
The woman is facing the following charges: multiple counts of Level 5 felony neglect of a dependent; Class A misdemeanor reckless driving; Class C misdemeanor driving with a suspended vehicle registration; and multiple infractions for child restraint violations.
Charges of operating while intoxicated are pending the blood test results.
Meredith Colias-Pete contributed.
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Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.