HENRY/HANCOCK COUNTY — One driver of a semi-trailer died and another was taken to a hospital after their vehicles collided head-on early Tuesday on Interstate 70 in Henry County, police say.
The crash, which happened in the eastbound lanes of the highway, left all lanes of the interstate near State Road 109 in Knightstown closed, according to the Henry County Sheriff's Office.
As of about 8 a.m., crews were also responding to a second crash, involving two semis and one passenger vehicle, on I-70 eastbound between Mohawk Road and Fortville Pike, Indiana State Police say.
The second crash occurred in a section of the highway in Hancock County where traffic was backed up due to the first crash. One of the semis in the second crash started smoking after the impact, police said. It wasn't immediately clear if the vehicle had caught fire.
At about 1 p.m., Hancock County EMA tweeted that the scene had been cleared and a portion of the road reopened. All traffic was being diverted off State Road 9.
There was also a third crash between SR 9 and Grant City Road, about a mile east of Greenfield, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation.
Henry County Sheriff's deputies responded about 4:03 a.m. to the first crash. A westbound semi for unknown reasons crossed the median and went into eastbound lanes of I-70, hitting an eastbound semi head-on.
The driver of the westbound semi was pronounced dead while the driver of the eastbound semi was transported to a Richmond hospital and later airlifted to another hospital for additional treatment.
As of 8:25 a.m., all lanes of I-70 eastbound were closed between SR 9 and Grant Road in Henry County as a result of the first crash. Traffic is not moving at SR 9. Drivers should get off I-70 at Post Road.
The second crash left all eastbound lanes and one westbound lane of I-70 closed between Post Road and Fortville Pike. One person was injured as a result of that crash. Additional details weren't immediately clear.
About 11:30 a.m., the Greenfield Police Department tweeted that traffic was congested "all over the city" due to the crashes.
Due to ongoing Interstate 70 eastbound closures, traffic is very congested all over the city. Please take your time getting around this afternoon and avoid main roads if you can. Officers are controlling lighted intersections trying to keep it moving.
— Greenfield Police (@GreenfieldIN_PD) September 20, 2022
"Our officers are doing their best to keep it moving and we need your help! If you don’t have to be out driving, please stay put. If you do have to be out, please expect your trip to take a lot longer than you had planned," the police department said in an update.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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