Semi jackknifes, hits police car on I-80/94 in NW Indiana

GARY, Ind. (Sun-Times Media Wire) - A semi truck jackknifed into an Indiana State Police squad car Monday night in Gary, Indiana.

A state trooper was stopped in a police car with its emergency lights on about 11:10 p.m. on the shoulder of westbound I-80/94 near the exit ramps to I-65 at the scene of an earlier single-vehicle crash, according to a statement from Indiana State Police.

The driver of a 2007 Volvo semi then lost control and the truck started to jackknife before hitting the police car, state police said. The impact caused the police car to hit the 2009 Mazda, which had been involved in the earlier crash.

The driver of the semi, a 55-year-old man from Ontario, Canada, was taken to Methodist Hospital Northlake Campus in Gary with serious injuries, state police said. He was later transferred to University of Chicago Medical Center.

The trooper, a 25-year-old man, was taken to Saint Mary’s Medical Center in Hobart, Indiana, according to state police. His injuries were not thought to be life threatening. The driver of the Mazda was not injured.

The semi’s driver was issued citations for expired license plates and unsafe lane movement, state police said.