Three people were transported to hospital on Wednesday morning, Oct. 18, following a three-vehicle chain-reaction accident on southbound Ind. 49, the Town of Chesterton said on their Facebook page.
According to the Chesterton Police Department, at 10:20 a.m. a 71-year-old Michigan City resident was southbound on Ind. 49 when, while approaching the intersection of 1100N, she apparently “looked away” from the road for a moment and “was unable to slow down or stop before crashing into the rear end” of a second vehicle.
The driver of the second vehicle, a 72-year-old Lake Station resident—who was stopped at the intersection for a light, waiting to turn right onto westbound 1100N—advised that her vehicle was struck “so hard” that it was pushed into the rear of a semi-tractor trailer in front of her, also stopped at the intersection, the police said.
The second vehicle sustained “major damage” to the front end and “heavy rear-end damage” as well, police said.
The Michigan City resident, the Lake Station resident, and the Lake Station resident’s passenger, a 51-year-old Portage resident, all complained of pain and were transported to hospital. The operator of the semi escaped injury.
Police attributed the cause of the crash to “failure to yield right of way” and “unsafe speed.”
Estimated damage to the three vehicles at up to $10,000, according to police.
The Chesterton Fire Department also responded to the scene and assisted with patient care.