HANCOCK COUNTY, Ind. — A Franklin woman is dead following a crash on I-70 in Hancock County near the Marion County line.
Members of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office were called to the eastbound lanes of I-70 near County Road 600 West (Mt. Comfort Exit) around 11:55 p.m. Wednesday. They received a report of a minivan colliding with the back of a tractor trailer.
Officials say when the deadly crash happened, traffic was backed up due to an earlier crash on I-70 involving three semis. According to the sheriff’s office, the tractor-trailer involved in the deadly crash was stopped in traffic with its emergency flashers activated when it was hit from behind by the minivan.Police say the minivan was driven by Melissa Welch, 46, of Franklin. She was killed in the crash and was the only person in the minivan.
The driver of the semi was not hurt. Officials say he cooperated with police and submitted to a blood draw due to the severity of the crash.
At this time, drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be a factor in the crash.
I-70 was closed for about three hours while officers investigated and cleared the scene. The interstate was completely opened from both crashes around 3 a.m.