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Troopers responded to two separate fatal crashes last night, both involving motorcycles.
Indianapolis, IN - The first crash occurred on I-465 eastbound near East Street on the south side of Indianapolis. August 27, at approximately 7:15 p.m. 911 dispatchers received information about a single vehicle motorcycle crash on the left side of the road. When first responders arrived they found the motorcyclist unconscious and unresponsive, despite life saving efforts 40 year old John Byers of Indianapolis was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Trooper Michael Risley conducted the investigation and determined Mr. Byers drove off the road and struck a construction sign on the left side of the highway near the 3.2 mile marker of I-465. It is not clear what caused Byers to run off the road and there were no other vehicles involved.
This investigation is ongoing and there is no further information to release at this time. The left two lanes of I-465 were closed in this area for approximately two hours while the crash was investigated.
Greenfield, IN - Last night August 27, at 11:59 emergency crews responded to the scene of a serious multi-vehicle crash in the eastbound lanes of I-70 near the 97 mile marker. A semi-tractor trailer that was involved in the crash caught fire closing both eastbound and westbound traffic lanes. When first responders arrived they located a man lying in the roadway, he was pronounced deceased at the scene. The drivers of the other vehicles involved were not injured.
Indiana State Police Crash Reconstructionists Lieutenant Tyler Utterback and Trooper Kari Woodard responded to the scene to do the investigation. Preliminary information has led investigators to believe a pick-up truck pulling a car trailer had broken down in the right lane of I-70, there are no emergency shoulders in this area due to construction. A motorcyclist struck the back of the car trailer and was ejected into the left lane. Another eastbound car then struck the motorcycle and the motorcyclist. Shortly after the second impact a semi-tractor trailer struck the motorcycle in the roadway causing the motorcycle and eventually the semi trailer to catch on fire. The driver of the semi was able to get out of the truck prior to the fire.
The motorcyclist was identified as 47 year old Mark Webster of Richmond Indiana. The eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed for approximately seven hours while the crash was investigated and the wreckage was removed. The westbound lanes had to be closed while the semi was engulfed due to the proximity of the fire to the westbound traffic. The westbound lanes were reopened at 1:55 a.m.
This investigation is ongoing and there is no further information to release at this time.
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