Gary, Lake County-An early morning crash, this morning, resulted in a car being split in two and three occupants dead.
Preliminary investigation by Trooper Carson House revealed, at approximately 3:37 a.m., this Sunday, February 08, 2015, morning, a 2010 Dodge Avenger, driven by Robert M. Hayes, 22 of Chicago, Illinois, was west bound on I-80/94 just east of Cline Avenue when he went to pass a semi that was in the right lane.
Hayes passed the semi, moved to the right lane, lost control when he went off the roadway onto the outer shoulder, hit the concrete barrier wall on the outer shoulder, flipped the Avenger on top of the barrier wall hitting a large support pole for the overhead sign that spans across both lanes for the Cline Avenue exit. The impact split the car in two, causing the driver's front half of the Avenger to face west and the rest of the vehicle facing east. After the impact a small fire started and Good Sanitarians who stopped at the scene put the fire out.
The impact threw a front seat passenger out of the Avenger and they came to rest just east of the Dodge. They were pronounced dead at the scene by a deputy with the Lake County’s Coroner office of massive trauma. A back seat passenger was trapped between the barrier wall and the Avenger and was pronounced dead at the scene also. A second back seat passenger was taken to North Lake Methodist Hospital in Gary where they were also pronounced dead of massive trauma. The third back seat passenger, John Paul Misquez, 22 of Los Angeles, California, was taken to North Lake Hospital with internal injuries and was later transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago (family notified).
Hayes was taken to North Lake Methodist Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Charges are pending per review of the Lake County Prosecutor’s office.
Names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of their families.
The right two lanes were closed for reconstruction of the crash, removal of the injured, deceased and vehicle, and clean-up of the roadway. The Indiana Department of Transportation was on scene to assess if any structural damage was done to the support pole for the overhead sign.
Assisting: Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Lake County Coroner’s office, Gary Fire and EMS, Indiana Department of Transportation, and Waffco Towing
All criminal defendants are to be presumed innocent until, and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Pictures are of the Avenger
