Tippecanoe County-Today at approximately 6:09 a.m. on I-65 northbound at the 174 mile marker, a sleepy semi driver drove off the right side of the roadway crashing into a guard rail and came to rest in the middle of the interstate blocking both lanes of traffic.
Preliminary investigation by Sergeant David Henson has shown that Stacy Lee White, 26 of Albany, GA was northbound driving a yellow 2015 Freightliner owned by CRST out of Cedar Rapids, IA and pulling a 2010 Van Guard trailer also owned by CRST. White allegedly fell asleep when he drove the semi off the right side of the roadway striking the guard rail. The driver then drove the semi over the guard rail and came back onto the roadway where he came to rest blocking both lanes.
No one was injured in the crash. The co-driver, Leon Henry Young, 55 of Pembroke Pines, FL, was asleep in the sleeper berth. The trailer was a total loss and the Amazon freight load that was coming from Louisville, KY to Kent, WA was tossed onto the roadway. The Freightliner sustained heavy damage. The roadway was closed for about two hours for cleanup and removal of the wreckage. No citations were issued at this time. The driver was seat belted in and the co-driver was wearing a sleeper belt which White said saved him from being injured. The sleeper belt helps keep the person asleep in the berth from being tossed from the cab in the event of a crash.
Assisting at the scene were troopers from the Lafayette Post, Lafayette Fire Department, Indiana Department of Transportation and Jim’s Wrecker Service.
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