Troopers and crash reconstruction investigators from the Indiana State Police are investigating a three-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of two drivers on I-65 southbound just south of Austin.
Around 11:50 p.m. April 22, police and emergency personnel responded to a crash and truck fire on I-65 southbound near the 33 mile marker, just south of the Austin exit. Three semi-trucks were blocking both lanes of traffic, with two of those semi-trucks on fire, according to ISP Sgt. Carey Huls.
First responders and firefighters from Jennings Township, Scottsburg City, Vienna Township, and other area departments responded to extinguish the fire.
Based on their preliminary investigation, ISP crash reconstruction investigators believe a white Volvo semi-truck in the driving lane stopped in traffic due to roadwork near the 31-mile marker.
A short time later, a second southbound semi slowed to stop; however, a third southbound tractor-trailer failed to stop and collided with the second truck. That collision, in turn, pushed the second truck into the trailer of the first truck. Both the second and third trucks involved immediately caught fire after the crash.
The drivers in both the second and third tractors died at the scene, and a driver in the sleeper of the third truck was flown to University Hospital in Louisville with severe burn injuries.
Pronounced dead at the scene were the second semi driver, Julianne Reid, 55, of Indianapolis and driver of the third semi, Damion Calvin Stewart, 38, of Miami, FL.
Following the crash, I-65 southbound traffic was diverted off the interstate at the Austin exit (Exit 34) and rerouted to US31 southbound during the investigation and clean-up.
As traffic backed up on the interstate, vehicles began exiting at Uniontown and Crothersville causing traffic slowdown on US 31 and State Roads 256 & 56 as traffic proceeded to return to the southbound interstate at Scottsburg.
Both lanes remained closed until approximately 11 a.m., when workers opened the right lane, and the Indiana Department of Transportation continued repairs to road surface damage.