UPDATE: Victim ID’ed in fatal I-94 crash, coroner says

MICHIGAN CITY — A fatal crash early Thursday along a local stretch of Interstate 94

happened after a Westville man rolled his 2005 Dodge Ram in the right eastbound lane of

the highway, Indiana State Police said.

The person who died in the crash has been identified as Rovelo Mejia Raul, 36, according

to the LaPorte County Coroner’s office. The man’s place of residence has not yet been

confirmed.

A driver was standing outside his truck when it was struck by a 2005 Chevrolet cargo

van, which spun out and was struck on the passenger side by a semi-truck, State Police

Public Information Officer Sgt. Glen Fifield said.

The driver of a fourth vehicle, a 2007 GMC truck, while attempting to avoid the

collisions, spun out and stuck the center median wall then then hit the trailer of the

semi-truck, according to police.

“A passenger in the van was declared deceased at the scene by the LaPorte County

Coroner,” Fifield said. “A second passenger in the van was critically injured and was

later flown to Chicago for treatment. A third passenger in the van was initially pinned

in the van and later transported to Franciscan Health Hospital in Michigan City for

treatment.”

Neither the driver of the semi-truck nor the driver of the Dodge Ram were injured,

police said.

The crash occurred just east of U.S. 421 and the eastbound lanes of the highway were

closed for four and a half hours Thursday morning for the investigation and cleanup,

Fifield said. Traffic was reportedly backed up for at least two miles.

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